When it comes to street food, Delhi and Banaras tops the chart in Indian cities. Fortunately, ( or else ! ) I belong to both the cities. Delhi is my life line and Banaras – My Sasuraal .. :D Bizarre how we consider the place where we stay, the best in the world. Delhi is the best for me, It has taught me lessons of my life. Anyways, emotions later lets come back to the food. I love Delhi Street food, the evergreen Golgappe from Bengali Market, Kulfi from CP, Chinese Chaat from Lajpat Nagar, or yes Rajma –rice from mmm anywhere .. Rajma rice in Delhi, jus Love ‘em.. an evergreen dish which is so fulfilling and yet comes so inexpensive. One of the best resort after Paranthas in student life.
Rated as best Street Food by ‘’Times Good Food Guide’’ in a survey, its proved that for Delhites it has got the same reputation of street food. Available in every Gali and Nukkad, this one is my fav too. So, when I started cooking ( and that means, with actual interest ) this was one of the first dishes that I wanted to master in. And somehow I do like the version which I made a lot. Not everyone can impress me with their style of making this healthy but neglected legume.
Red kidney beans are indeed a very healthy and nutritious food one can consume and in India they come at a reasonable price atleast when being compared to other legumes. They are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. So, If you're wondering how to replace red meat in your menus, become a fan of kidney beans. And unlike meat, beans are naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free and are also a good source of iron.
Hmm, after bragging so much about the goodness of these beans, why dont we consume it that much is the question that pops up in my mind quite often. Actually the way its been prepared in Indian homes claims a big reason of its absence and negligence in our lives. With lots of Masala and oil used in preparation, it loses most of the benefits against the fatty enemies. But anyways, certainly everyone has their own recipes to include this wonder legume in their diet, I have few too which I will post quite soon. This time, lets cook our Delhi’s Fav street food – Punjabi Rajma(h) with Rice.
Ingredients:
2 cup Red kidney beans, soaked in warm water overnight
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ( I made fresh at home)
2 large onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2-3 green chilies, chopped
½ cup Cilantro leaves
1 cup full fat milk
2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Cumin powder, Red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder each
Salt to taste
2 bay leaves
A small cinnamon stick
A pinch of nutmeg
½ tsp Dry mango powder ( Khatayi, optional )
2 tbsp Oil
For tempering:
1 tsp Ghee
2-3 dried red chilies
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi ( dried fenugreek )
Seasoning to taste
Method:
Pressure cook Rajma with 4 cups of water till 4 whistles with salt and turmeric. Allow the pressure to ease off before opening the cooker. Keep almost ¼ cup Rajma aside and make a paste of it when it cools down.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions till they get light brown. Let them cool down and then blend it fine like chutney. Please do not blend while its still hot, this may be dangerous. Allow it to cool till room temperature first.
Now, heat remaining 1 tbsp Oil in the pan, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick to it and fry for 30 sec on medium flame.
Pour the blended onion paste into it. Fry for a min and add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilies to it. Again fry for 2 minutes and add tomatoes to this mix. Cook covered for around 5-6 minutes till tomatoes get all mushy and mixed up. Add all the spices ( except Garam Masala ) into this and cook covered for next 3-4 minutes till it gets cooked completely.
Now, at this stage you could either puree the Masala or leave it as it is. I love it as it is with the mushy texture of tomatoes coming up while eating, so I don’t puree this. But if you are doing it, increase the quantity of tomato in it like take 3 tomatoes instead of two. Otherwise the masala will not be enough thick after blending.
Add the boiled Rajma to this paste along with enough water ( around 1 cup at this stage ) and let it simmer for 10 -12 min. Combine with the Rajma paste we prepared at the starting of the cooking and mix well. This is to give that desired thickness to the dish.
Add 1 cup of the milk and keep it simmering for next 10-12 min stirring it frequently else the milk will curdle. You can also a tbsp. of Besan ( gram flour ) to the milk to make sure it doesn’t curdle if it’s not fresh enough. Fresh milk wont curdle if is mixed properly at low flame and not at a boiling temperature.
Remember, the more you simmer this Rajma, the better it will taste. Obviously that doesn’t mean you should forget after keeping it on flame but a good 20 min is required to give that thick consistency to this. Sprinkle Garam Maslaa to it and turn off the flame. Keep it covered till being served so that it absorbs the flavours well.
Before serving prepare a tempering of Ghee , dried red chilies, kasuri methi and any seasoning if required and pour onto the serving bowl.
Relish !!
Off to Street Food event by Anusha, Hot n Spicy by Amy, Susan's MLLA 43 hosted by Claire
Rated as best Street Food by ‘’Times Good Food Guide’’ in a survey, its proved that for Delhites it has got the same reputation of street food. Available in every Gali and Nukkad, this one is my fav too. So, when I started cooking ( and that means, with actual interest ) this was one of the first dishes that I wanted to master in. And somehow I do like the version which I made a lot. Not everyone can impress me with their style of making this healthy but neglected legume.
Red kidney beans are indeed a very healthy and nutritious food one can consume and in India they come at a reasonable price atleast when being compared to other legumes. They are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. So, If you're wondering how to replace red meat in your menus, become a fan of kidney beans. And unlike meat, beans are naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free and are also a good source of iron.
Hmm, after bragging so much about the goodness of these beans, why dont we consume it that much is the question that pops up in my mind quite often. Actually the way its been prepared in Indian homes claims a big reason of its absence and negligence in our lives. With lots of Masala and oil used in preparation, it loses most of the benefits against the fatty enemies. But anyways, certainly everyone has their own recipes to include this wonder legume in their diet, I have few too which I will post quite soon. This time, lets cook our Delhi’s Fav street food – Punjabi Rajma(h) with Rice.
Ingredients:
2 cup Red kidney beans, soaked in warm water overnight
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ( I made fresh at home)
2 large onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2-3 green chilies, chopped
½ cup Cilantro leaves
1 cup full fat milk
2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Cumin powder, Red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder each
Salt to taste
2 bay leaves
A small cinnamon stick
A pinch of nutmeg
½ tsp Dry mango powder ( Khatayi, optional )
2 tbsp Oil
For tempering:
1 tsp Ghee
2-3 dried red chilies
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi ( dried fenugreek )
Seasoning to taste
Method:
Pressure cook Rajma with 4 cups of water till 4 whistles with salt and turmeric. Allow the pressure to ease off before opening the cooker. Keep almost ¼ cup Rajma aside and make a paste of it when it cools down.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and fry onions till they get light brown. Let them cool down and then blend it fine like chutney. Please do not blend while its still hot, this may be dangerous. Allow it to cool till room temperature first.
Now, heat remaining 1 tbsp Oil in the pan, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick to it and fry for 30 sec on medium flame.
Pour the blended onion paste into it. Fry for a min and add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilies to it. Again fry for 2 minutes and add tomatoes to this mix. Cook covered for around 5-6 minutes till tomatoes get all mushy and mixed up. Add all the spices ( except Garam Masala ) into this and cook covered for next 3-4 minutes till it gets cooked completely.
Now, at this stage you could either puree the Masala or leave it as it is. I love it as it is with the mushy texture of tomatoes coming up while eating, so I don’t puree this. But if you are doing it, increase the quantity of tomato in it like take 3 tomatoes instead of two. Otherwise the masala will not be enough thick after blending.
Add the boiled Rajma to this paste along with enough water ( around 1 cup at this stage ) and let it simmer for 10 -12 min. Combine with the Rajma paste we prepared at the starting of the cooking and mix well. This is to give that desired thickness to the dish.
Add 1 cup of the milk and keep it simmering for next 10-12 min stirring it frequently else the milk will curdle. You can also a tbsp. of Besan ( gram flour ) to the milk to make sure it doesn’t curdle if it’s not fresh enough. Fresh milk wont curdle if is mixed properly at low flame and not at a boiling temperature.
Remember, the more you simmer this Rajma, the better it will taste. Obviously that doesn’t mean you should forget after keeping it on flame but a good 20 min is required to give that thick consistency to this. Sprinkle Garam Maslaa to it and turn off the flame. Keep it covered till being served so that it absorbs the flavours well.
Before serving prepare a tempering of Ghee , dried red chilies, kasuri methi and any seasoning if required and pour onto the serving bowl.
Relish !!
Off to Street Food event by Anusha, Hot n Spicy by Amy, Susan's MLLA 43 hosted by Claire
This looks so flavorful and healthy! Thanks for sending your recipe to My Legume Love Affair.
ReplyDeleteYUMMY YUMMY
ReplyDeleteAarthi
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/
super yummy....rajma rice is my fav and i can very well relate to ur delhi story...wil try out dis verison of rajma
ReplyDeleteLooks so delicious. Thanks a lot for linking with
ReplyDeleteHot & Spicy Treats-curry/stew
These all are amazing and fabulous street food in Delhi.Thanks for sharing with us great blog.
ReplyDeleteDelhi Food Guide