Kidney Beans Rice / Rajma Rice

This is one of dishes I used to make a decade back for my husband's lunch box. I used to soak rajma / kidney bean in the night and cook it in the pressure cooker in the morning and make this dish. Some of the ladies whom I was friend with at that time, used to wonder how I could do it in the morning and get it ready by 8 AM. If they see me now using the canned beans (I don't always use them, but keep them handy), they will say that I have changed. I used the canned beans for a reason. When you cook it in pressure cooker, some beans get mushy which, doesn't go very well with a dry dish. That was the reason behind using canned beans.

One Year Back - Masala Kichadi
Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Rajma / Kidney beans - One 15 Oz can rinsed and drained
Onions - 2 small sliced thin into 1" strips
Tomatoes - 2 small chopped fine
Oil - 3 TBSP
Garlic - 2 cloves grated or minced
Ginger - 1/2" piece grated or minced
Black Pepper - 10
Cloves - 4 - 5
Cinnamon stick - 1/2" stick
Whole cardamom - 2
Bay Leaf - 1
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - 2 TBSP for garnish

Method:
Cook rice in enough water. Spread on a plate and separate the grains. Let it cool. In a pan, heat oil. When hot, add bay leaf. When bay leaf gets toasted, add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger and garlic. Let them get toasted. Add onions. Sprinkle with some salt and let it wilt. When onions are cooked, add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, garam masala. Stir well. Add the rinsed and drained rajma and mix well. When tomatoes are cooked, add the rice and mix it gently. Adjust the seasonings if required, garnish with cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve warm with yogurt or raita.


Now over to my fellow marathoners,
30 Minutes Meals: Gayathri Anand
Baked Goods: Monika,
For On Going Events: Gayathri Kumar, Usha
Kids Friendly: PJ, Savitha, Smitha, Srivalli, Veena Aravind
Rice Varieties: Champa, Divya, Padma

Enjoy.