Kashmiri Rajma Masala

Rajma masala is a popular Indian curry made with kidney beans. This recipe bursts with aroma of Kashmiri garam masala. Some months ago, I have visited Jammu & Kashmir. I brought many Kashmiri delicacies like kashmiri rajama, masala tikki/ver, black caraway seeds etc.  I recalled the memories of Kashmir to recreate the magic in my kitchen. 

Ingredients:

• Rajma beans (kidney beans)- 1 cup
• Onion, finely chopped- 2 cups or 4 med
• Tomato, finely chopped- 1 ½ cup or 3 med
• Green chillies, chopped- 2
• Ginger-garlic paste- 1 tbsp
• Kashmiri black caraway seeds or Caraway seeds (shahjeera)- ½ tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1 tbsp or to taste
• Kashmiri vari/ver or masala tikki, crushed- 2 tbsp (plz read more about this in tips)
• Curd/yogurt- ¾ cup
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)- ¼ tsp
• Oil or ghee- 6 to 8 tbsp
• Salt- to taste
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped- for garnish, a handful 

Method:

• Wash and soak rajma in the plenty of water overnight.
• Drain and cook in pressure cooker with water till soft (when cooker comes to full pressure, don't take whistle. Reduce heat to low and pressure cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.). Perfectly cooked beans will hold their shape, but yield easily to pressure.
• Heat ghee or oil and add caraway seeds and onion. Saute till the onions turns pink. 
• Add turmeric, hing, chilii powder and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for a while. Add tomato, green chilli and some salt. Saute till tomato become soft and oil separates from masala. 
• Now add curd, stirring vigorously all the time (else the curd will curdle).
• Add crushed kashmiri masala tikki/ ver, salt and cooked rajma along with it's broth (water which used for boiling). Add some extra water to adjust consistency as per personal choice. Mix well.
• Simmer 8-10 minutes, switch off the gas and add coriander. If you are using oil for cooking, then add some desi ghee or butter in rajama curry.
• Serve hot with paratha/chapati or rice/jeera rice. 

Tips:
If you don't have Kashmiri masala tikki or vari/ver, use 2-3 tsp Kashmiri garam masala instead of this. 

If you don't have Kashmiri black caraway seeds, use common Caraway seeds (shahjeera).  

Kashmiri rajma are dark red kidney beans which are known for their rich red colour even after being cooked. They have a shiny appearance are smaller as compared to common rajma. These small red kidney beans are delicious and cook fast than other rajama.