Rajma Masala - Sweet and sour Rajma Gravy without tomatoes Recipe

Rajma or kidney beans is packed with health benefits.In our house we prepare rajma curry or gravy at least once in a month.I read that the calcium,iron and folic acid content in rajma is higher than most other legumes.We usually consume legumes at least twice a week.So was always in the hunt for new recipes using legumes so that my daughter doesn't get bored of the same old dish every other week.Kids get bored easily with food stuffs and my daughter goes blog hoping and wants me to try new recipes everyday.Ha ha kids are kids so I should ensure that I prepare dishes that she loves to eat.She loves rajma in any form,especially gravy with her roti. This recipe I tried about 2 weeks back from a newspaper article.It sounded interesting , rajma gravy without tomatoes and garam masala so planned to try it out the next day itself.I had made changes to the original recipe to suit our taste.I did have qualms whether the dish may come out dry without tomatoes but to my surprise it was creamy.We loved the masala as it was a sweet and sour version.Now to the recipe

Rajma Masala Recipe - Ingredients

Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) - 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind Paste - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp (grated)
Coriander leaves for garnish
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook the rajma for 4 to 5 whistles or till they are soft yet not mushy.Strain the water and reserve for future use. Now heat oil in a pan and tip in the fenugreek seeds,now add the onion followed by the ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell leaves.
2. Now add the powders and salt and saute well .Add the rajma alone (without water)and stir till all the masala coats well.Take a ladle full of the fried rajma and puree it after it cools down.Add the reserved water to the pan followed by the rajma puree and let it boil well.
3. You can add the tamarind paste now check for seasoning add the grated jaggery and let it boil till the gravy attains the required consistency.Garnish with coriander and serve with rice or roti.

My Notes:

• The original recipe called for mustard oil but I used sunflower oil.
• There was also an addition of kala namak which I did not add,may be should try adding this for a chaat like flavour.
• The success of this dish depends on the right balance of the tamarind and jaggery with a hint of spice.This balance depends on ones personal taste.
• I used the light red coloured rajma, you can used the red ones too,but the black ones don't cook as soft as the other two available in India.