Rajma masala ‘maa style’

Being a vegetarian, i crave for my protein.  I googled it and found that 184 g of kidney beans contain:
Calories: 54
Protein: 43.4 g
Carbohydrates: 110 g
Water: 21.6 g
Dietary fiber: 45.8 g
Starch: 45.8 g
Calcium: 263 mg
Iron: 15.1 mg

Well... not enough for a day’s requirement.  Today I decided to make Rajma Masala similar to what my mom always does.  My mom prefers to make ‘Chitra’ rajma instead of the regular bigger black/ red kidney beans. It’s easier to cook and tastes better than the usual red kidney beans. I prefer the tangy flavour of rajma than the spicy one.

The recipe says: soak rajma overnight (It’s good to soak pulses for a longer time, saves fuel and time when cooking) or at least a few hours before. Boil it, say 5 whistles. Gravy Preparation: In a chopper, add 3-4 cloves of garlic, few inches of ginger, some green chillies, 2 medium size onions and then sing my favourite jingle: Chop! Chop! Chop! ...And it’s done. In a pan, add 3 tsf vegetable oil. When heated, add cumin, carom (ajwain), whole black pepper and 2-3 cloves.  Add the chopped veggies. When golden brown, add 5-6 medium sized chopped tomatoes. (I prefer slightly unripe tomatoes as they are li’l bit tangy). Wait for few minutes. Add salt, turmeric, coriander powder. Mix the gravy with boiled rajma in pressure cooker. Add a pinch of homemade garam masala (the recipe I‘ll share one day though). Whistle again for say 4 -5 times. And it’s done.....

I prefer eating it with pilaf while Vishwa asks for chapattis!