Kandhe ki tarkari

This gravy is mildly spiced as it is cooked with veggies & onion-garlic sauce

Ingredients required

To make paste

• 4-5 sprigs of spring onion (bulb alone)
• 10 garlic pieces
• 3 tsp oil

other

• 1 tsp whole jeera
• 1/2 cup of chopped green part of spring onions
• 2 cups of finely chopped vegetables like radhish, carrot, cauliflower, peas
• 1 tsp of salt

Method

Grind onion  bulb, oil  and garlic to form paste

In a kadaai, add paste, jeera and green part of spring onions.  Saute well.

Add other veggies and cook till done. Adjust salt and garnish with coriander leaves

Rajma Masala Recipe | Punjabi Rajma Masala with Homemade Spice Powder

Rajma Masala is a comforting North Indian kidney bean curry made with soft, creamy rajma cooked in a flavourful onion-tomato gravy. What makes this recipe special is the homemade roasted rajma masala powder, prepared with whole spices, dry red chillies, amchur, cardamom, cinnamon and other aromatic spices.

This hearty rajma curry is perfect with steamed rice, jeera rice, roti, chapati or paratha. The longer the cooked rajma simmers in the masala, the more flavourful and creamy the curry becomes.

If you love homestyle Indian food, this is one recipe worth adding to your regular lunch or dinner menu.

Ingredients

For Homemade Rajma Masala Powder

• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3–4 dry red chillies
• 1-inch piece cinnamon
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• 2–3 green cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• ¼ tsp dry ginger powder
• ½ tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)
• ½ tsp nutmeg powder
• ½ tsp mace powder
• ¼ tsp pomegranate seeds (anardana)

To prepare the masala:

Dry roast the whole spices and red chillies on low heat until aromatic. Allow them to cool completely and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the dry ginger, amchur, nutmeg and mace powders.

For Tempering

• 6–7 tsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• ½ tsp finely chopped green chilli

For the Rajma Curry

• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup tomato puree
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp salt, or according to taste
• 1¼ cups rajma (kidney beans), soaked overnight and pressure cooked until tender
• Prepared rajma masala powder
• Fresh coriander leaves, for garnishing

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Method

1. Prepare the rajma masala powder

Dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves and pomegranate seeds over low heat until fragrant.

Cool completely and grind into a fine powder. Add the dry ginger powder, amchur powder, nutmeg and mace powder. Mix well and keep aside.

2. Prepare the tempering

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the finely chopped ginger and green chilli and sauté for a few seconds.

3. Cook the onion and tomato

Add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn soft and lightly golden.

Add the tomato puree and cook until the raw smell disappears and the mixture becomes thick.

4. Add the spices

Add turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt and the freshly prepared rajma masala powder. Mix well and cook the masala for a few minutes until it becomes aromatic and well combined.

5. Add the cooked rajma

Add the cooked rajma along with a little of its cooking liquid, depending on your preferred consistency. Mix well.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, allowing the rajma to absorb all the flavours of the masala.

For a naturally creamy texture, gently mash a few rajma beans against the side of the pan while simmering.

6. Garnish and serve

Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice, jeera rice, roti, chapati or paratha.

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⭐ My Food-Blogger Tip

For an even more delicious rajma, don't rush the final simmering stage. Let the cooked kidney beans gently simmer in the onion-tomato masala so that they absorb the spices. Lightly mashing a few beans also gives the gravy a lovely thick, creamy consistency without adding cream.

Mooli patta ki dal

Raddhish leaves are called as mooli patta.  Since it is actively available during this winter season, better to buy and consume a lot in cooking because they have lots of nutritious values like iron, minerals etc.  Here radhish leaves are combined with toovar dal and is tempered with mild spices.

Ingredients required

For temper

• 3 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 1/2 tssp hing/perungayam
• 3-4 broken red chillies
• 3-4 curry leaves
• 4 tsp finely chopped onion

other

• 1/2 cup finely chopped raddhish leaves
• 1/2 cup boiled toovar dal
• Salt, to taste

Method

Add ingredients for temper one by one.

Throw in radhish leaves and saute till partially done.  This should take ten minutes on simmer flame.

Add in boiled toovar dal, adjust salt.  Cover and cook.  Serve hot with roti/rice