GHUGNI STYLE RAJMA CURRY

 

AT TIMES, UNPLANNED COOKING OF A DISH GIVES THE BEST RESULT!

This cooking without any planning happens a lot in my home. I do not risk getting a lot of  innovations to a dish, I lack ideas too! Not in the habit of wasting food; I prefer cooking a dish  taking a bit from here and there; just in case I want to create a new dish! Even after such  precautions; some days my food experiments fail. Although, I hardly allow any food to go through the drain. In case of failures, I make it a point to add this and that to make the food edible. I was taught as a child not to waste a spoonful of food, the maternal grandfather hailing from a poor farmer's family was strict about it. I still remember how with great care he ate the last morsel of rice grain! He was a man of certain flaws but few important lessons of life I did learn from him. I have learnt them so well that I cannot get away from them. It is my men; the man, son and my brother who mercilessly waste food! I get angry with any Indian who are in the habit of food wastage! How would one know which day who are in what capacity of food intake? It should not be too difficult to over eat on some occasions. This woman on many occasions overeats, unable to waste food! These days, cooking anything at this home requires caution with regards to the amount of the ingredients. About this VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE CURRY, I made the right decision!

THE SUMMER, THE VACCINE DO TIRE YOU EASILY; DO NOT GIVE UP FOLKS!

The world is bountiful, soak in the essence of it! There is so much to do with this one life, why let boredom set in; wait for a doom's day? I believe my fate is unchangeable, yet a bit of it is in my hands. What is to happen will happen, I will not spoil my today thinking of what may happen tomorrow! If I get to do things of my choice, I enjoy it! I am thankful to the man for letting me be! If you say so, happiness is buying my choice of a jharu / sweep! Yesterday, I had my second dosage of vaccination and I was scared hearing what others had as an after effect. Back home, the man repeatedly told me to have a paracetamol. Why should I; tell me? The nurse told me to have it only when I have a headache or an unbearable pain or get fever. I only had a pain which is bearable; I went for a walk in the noon time. Had I have any uneasy feeling, I would seek help from a passerby or call home. I simply dislike dramatising events; I grew up watching our mother cooking for us with fever. Your body should be in motion so long you live.

These are my fun projects! Every little thing in my home should have my touch, I do not go by someone else's choice! If you do not enjoy life that is supposedly a gift, you die before your doom's day! Yes, I am angry with the senior, this dependence on medicine is something I dislike. The walk made me feel better, however slow and less it was. Back home, I had my lunch, then again a homemade chilled tea.

I even cooked that "chirer murki" this morning for myself; the daddy so loved "muri-khoi-chirer murki" in his lifetime; me too! The entire morning was spent selecting what to get to the blog today! I decided on a VEGETARIAN CURRY using a favourite ingredient RAJMA / RED KIDNEY BEANS. We are having Rajma for long; perhaps Kolkata Bengalis were not even used to buying it on a regular basis. Even our ferociously Bengali habituated father liked it with luchi, porota; he preferred the latter more than ruti! My men too love it and last August, I prepared it following the BENGALI GHUGNI RECIPE! As the name goes GHUGNI STYLE RAJMA CURRY!

WHAT IS THIS GHUGNI STYLE RAJMA CURRY?

The authentic BENGALI GHUGNI is made of yellow matar. I followed the same recipe in this case using the red kidney beans. Well, I cannot remember why I added the Thai sweet chilli sauce. BEANS & LEGUMES are very helpful for our body system; specially if one is on a vegetarian diet! I do not remember why the mother introduced RAJMA in the family kitchen. We had it a lot on our trips to Shyambazaar, New Market and outside of Bengal. May be the fondness made her do so or the hear say that it would make her kids strong! The father if ate outside, courtesy the son-in-law and later the son; he definitely preferred bread varieties with north Indian style chicken dishes, kofta too! Okay, he revered Southern India through his love for pithe-puli! Rice and Mutton is a family thing to be cooked in the family kitchen. Because we slow cook mutton, we never trust having mutton in a restaurant, I also believed this until I had Mysore Pepper Mutton while touring the Cameron Highlands! Anyway, this curry is something to relish with or without a bread or rice!

INGREDIENTS :

RED KIDNEY BEAN / RAJMA : 1 COFFEE MUG

SLICED COCONUT : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

SLICED ONION : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2 TBSP

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TBSP

GINGER PASTE : 1 TBSP

GARLIC PASTE : 2 TBSP

CUMIN SEED : 1/2 TSP + 1/4 TSP

CORIANDER SEED : 1/2 TSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 3-4

BAY LEAF : 1

THAI SWEET CHILLI SAUCE : 1 TBSP

TAMARIND SAUCE : 2 TSP

CHILLI TOMATO SAUCE : 1 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP + 1 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 2 TSP

OIL : 3-4 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

I usually soak the rajma in hot water at least for 12 hours, after a wash!

I do not throw away the soaked water but pour the entire thing to the cooker and also a tsp of the turmeric, some salt and 1 tsp of red chilli powder!

I added little more water and pressure cooked it at minimal heat up to 3-4 whistles.

While the rajma is getting pressure cooked; we will get the ginger and garlic pastes ready. We will slice the onion and coconut, wash them. We will also chop and wash the coriander & green chillies.

Once the boiled rajma is ready, we will heat the oil in a wok; temper it with 1/4th tsp of the cumin and a bay leaf!

We will fry the thing for 2-3 minutes at low heat and add the onion & coconut slices.

Once the onion & coconut slices are stir cooked for a pretty 2-3 minutes; we will add the rest of the turmeric and the red chilli powders, some salt &  2-3 tbsp of water! 

We will stir cook it at low heat for 2-3 minutes!

We will add the entire content of the pressure cooker and stir cook for 2-3 minutes. 

We will turn the heat to minimal and cover; let it slow cook for at least 17- 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, we will dry roast 1/2 tsp of cumin + coriander seeds, dry red chillies  for 2-3 minutes and prepare a coarse powder.

We will add the ground spice powder and the sauces removing the cover and also the slitted green chillies.

We will fold in well and cook again at low heat for 5-6 minutes. We should be done.

We will transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish it with the chopped coriander before serving. We can have it with rice or with bread varieties. If you are on a diet, eat as it is bowls full of, no harm!