Rajma: Punjabi kidney bean curry with rice

Rajma chawal is North India's ultimate comfort food: kidney beans simmered in a thick, gingery onion and tomato gravy, then spooned over rice.

Ingredients

• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 3 g Cumin seeds
• 0.5 g Bay leaves, 2 leaves
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 0.2 Garlic, 3 cloves, crushed
• 20 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 1 Fresh chillies, finely chopped
• 5 g Ground coriander
• 2 g Ground turmeric
• 2 g Chilli powder, leave out for little ones
• 400 g Chopped tomatoes
• 800 g Kidney beans, 2 tins, drained
• 5 g Garam masala
• 2 g Dried fenugreek leaves
• 5 g Salt
• 300 g Basmati rice
• 0.5 Red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Lemons, in wedges
• 10 g Fresh coriander

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
2. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until deep golden. Take your time; this gives the sauce its depth.
3. Stir in the garlic, ginger and chilli for a minute, then the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. Add the tomatoes and cook until thick and the oil starts to separate.
4. Add the beans and 400ml water. Simmer, and mash some beans against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce.
5. Rinse the rice and boil it in plenty of salted water, then drain and leave covered.
6. Stir in the garam masala and crumble in the fenugreek leaves. Check the salt and serve over rice with red onion, lemon and coriander.