Red kidney beans stewed until the gravy turns thick and glossy, with ajwain seeds cutting through the richness. A vegan Punjabi staple that costs under a pound a portion.
Prep
15 mins
Cook
55 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£0.75
Difficulty
easy
Rajma lives or dies on how long you let it go. The beans need to soften past al dente so a good handful can be mashed into the sauce, which is what gives the gravy that heavy, almost creamy body without any dairy at all. Ajwain is unusual here but it stops the whole thing feeling heavy.
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Add the ajwain and cumin seeds and let them crackle for 20 seconds, until the ajwain smells sharp and almost thyme-like.
Add the onions with a pinch of the salt and fry for 12 minutes until deep golden. This is the base of the whole dish, so do not rush it.
Stir in the garlic and the grated half of the ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the ground coriander, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli and stir for 20 seconds, then immediately tip in the tomatoes. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until thick and the oil separates.
Add the drained kidney beans, 500ml water and the remaining salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a lazy simmer, part-cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Scoop out a ladleful of beans, mash them to a paste with a fork and stir back in. Simmer uncovered for a final 10 minutes.
This is the whole trick. Mashed beans thicken the gravy far better than any amount of reducing, and keep it naturally gluten free.
Stir through the garam masala. Taste and adjust the salt, remembering the gravy should be a little assertive to stand up to plain rice.
Serve scattered with the ginger matchsticks and chopped coriander.