RAJMA MASALA

There's this old man who comes to Nehru Place (a very famous office complex in New Delhi) everyday in his plush Merc with his sons. You might wonder what an old man, his sons & Merc have got to do with Rajma Masala, well he comes there to sell Rajma Chawal !!!! .....dont fall of your chair please..........this man puts up his stall at a corner & the queue to his stall is as long as the queue of sinners coming to visit the temple or the churches. Lately he has added variations like daal, chole, paneer & kadi with rice. Priced all at Rs. 25/- per plate (!!!!) he winds off everything by about 3 p.m. - n in flat 2 hrs he goes home with pocket full of notes!! I sometimes envy him n wonder if I could do as good as he is doing .............maybe some day!!!! I too will open up something like this.......

Well, I dont know about him, but here's my version of Rajma, which is quite popular ........

Ing -

1 cup - kidney beans / rajma

2 onions - pureed finely

4/5 flakes of garlic - added to grinder along with onions

1/2 inch ginger - added to the grinder along with onions

3 tomatoes - pureed separately along with a handful of corriander leaves

1 tbspn - garam masala

1 tspn - haldi / tumeric powder

1 tspn - red chilli powder

1/2 tspn - amchur / dried mango powder

1 tspn - dhaniya powder

Method -

Soak the rajma overnight & cook them till tender along with some salt.

In a wok add some oil, first add the onion, ginger garlic puree. Fry till dark brown colour

Add the tomato puree & fry till oil separates.

Add all the masalas.

Finally add the rajma, adjusting the salt & consistency with some water.

Serve with plain rice.

I call this comfort food !!!