Spicy Punjabi Red Kidney Bean Stew Recipes

SPICY PUNJABI RED KIDNEY BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Soak and cook the beans. (I recommend the quick cook oven method). Reserve the liquid Put the oil in a wide medium pot and set over medium high heat. Add the onions and fry until the onions have browned slightly. Add the garlic and ginger and stir. Add the tomatoes, coriander, cayenne, cumin and chilie. Cook over medium heat for five to six minutes, or until the tomatoes have slightly reduced. Stir in the cooked beans, their liquid, the salt and the lemon juice. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

PUNJABI RAJMA (KIDNEY BEANS)

Steps:

• Rinse and drain kidney beans.
• Heat the oil on medium to medium high.
• Add cumin seeds, ginger, and chilies. Sautee until cumin seeds darken, about one minute, or how you like.
• Add tomatoes with the water from the can. Simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced quite a bit, again to your preference. The longer you simmer, the tastier it will be!
• Add the rest of the spices and mix well.
• Add the kidney beans and mix well.
• Add the water. Simmer uncovered until the liquid has evaporated to the consistency you like. Feel free to add more water, or add less to begin with.
• About 15 minutes before you expect it to finished, add the chopped cilantro and stir.
• Garnish with the rest of the cilantro when you are ready to eat it!

RED BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Drain the beans through a strainer set over a bowl. Place the beans in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Measure the soaking water in the bowl, and add enough water to it to measure 2 1/2 quarts. Add this to the pot with the beans, turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam and/or bean skins.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onions, carrots and peppers. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 2 of the garlic cloves and continue to cook for another minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant. Season to taste with salt, add another tablespoon of oil and add the paprika. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until the vegetables are well coated with paprika and the mixture is aromatic. Add a ladleful of simmering water from the beans to the pan, stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to deglaze, then stir this mixture into the beans. Add the tomato paste and bay leaf, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
• Add the oregano, the remaining garlic cloves, salt to taste, cayenne, vinegar and sugar, and continue to simmer for another hour. The beans should be thoroughly tender and the broth thick and fragrant. Taste and adjust salt, and add more cayenne if desired. For a thicker stew, strain out 1 heaped cup of beans with a little liquid and purée. Stir back into the stew.
• Just before serving, stir in the parsley. Serve over noodles or thick slices of country bread, topping each portion with a large dollop of drained yogurt.

BAKED RAJMA (PUNJABI-STYLE RED BEANS WITH CREAM)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Quarter the onion, then thinly slice one portion. Set aside sliced onion. Add the remaining onion to a food processor, along with the garlic, chile and ginger. Purée until fairly smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• In a large, deep ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the cumin seeds and cook until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds. Add the onion mixture and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the excess liquid has evaporated and the mixture is just starting to take on a golden color, 8 to 10 minutes.
• While the mixture cooks, purée the canned tomatoes and their juices, if using diced, chopped or whole tomatoes.
• Add the beans and chile powder to the onion mixture, and mix well. Use a fork to mash a tablespoon or so of the beans against the side of the skillet to help thicken the sauce.
• Add the crushed or puréed tomatoes and garam masala to the beans, and mix well. Drizzle the top with cream or scatter with cheese, then slide into the oven and bake, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the top is lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Prepare the pickle: While the beans are baking, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Transfer 1/4 cup hot water to a small bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Add the reserved onion slices to the boiling water in the saucepan, turn off the heat and, after 1 minute, drain the onion. Transfer the softened onion to the small bowl and stir in the vinegar.
• When the beans are ready, fish out the pickled onion slices and arrange on top, letting a few drops of the pickling liquid flick over the beans to season them. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice, buttered toast or flour tortillas.

RAJMAH (PUNJABI CURRIED RED KIDNEY BEAN) (SLOW-COOKER)

Steps:

• Safety note: This is not part of the recipe, but it is information that has recently been highlighted in various places. Dry beans, especially dry red kidney beans, contain a toxin called Phytohaemagglutinin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Soaking and boiling dry beans helps remove this toxin to make beans safe to eat -- in a slow cooker, the temperature never gets hot enough to heat up dry beans sufficiently [source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration]. They recommend that you first soak them for a minimum of 12 hours, rinse them, and then boil them for 10 minutes. Singla has said that the long cooking here has the same effect, but if you have any concerns, please use these instructions, and expect the beans to finish cooking more quickly. Use less water if you start with soaked beans.
• Put all ingredients except the cilantro and the rice into a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cook on High for 11 hours, until the beans break down and the whole is somewhat creamy. (Several people have mentioned that it seems watery, so you might want to try less water - definitely less water if beans were pre-soaked).
• If you can find them, remove the cloves and the cinnamon stick. If the beans are not as creamy as you want them, stick your immersion blender in there and whir a bit. (Or remove about one cup of the beans and process in blender or food processor). Most of the beans should remain whole.
• Stir in cilantro and serve over rice.
• Optional: Stir in 1 cup yogurt, cover and let sit for 10 minutes, for a tangy twist.
• Use a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker if making half the quantity.