Red Bean Ragout With Plum Tomatoes And Thyme
Red bean ragout with plum tomatoes and thyme
Rajma, or the red kidney bean, is a very common legume in northern Indian kitchens. When prepared as a stew, or ragout, and eaten with hot plain rice, it is known as rajma-chawal. I have used fresh thyme, instead of the typical fresh coriander (cilantro), to give this dish an altogether new dimension.
Ingredients
– 2 tablespoons oil; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
– 2 onions, minced; 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
– 2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger; 4 cloves garlic, minced
– 2 fresh green chili peppers, deseeded and minced
– 2 large plum tomatoes, chopped; 2 teaspoons ground coriander
– 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
– 1 teaspoon garam masala; One 16-oz (450-g) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 2 cups (500 ml) water
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Quickly add the onion and chopped thyme, and cook, stirring frequently until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
Step 2:
Add the ginger, garlic, green chili peppers, tomatoes, coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala, and fry until the oil separates, about 5 minutes.
Step 3:
Add the red kidney beans, the water and salt, and cook until the beans are tender and the avors are well blended, about 10 minutes. Mash some of the beans roughly; this thickens the sauce. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve garnished with the sprigs of thyme.