Food 
This flavorful vegetarian curry is one of the famous curries in North India. Red beans are a good source of iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and also a perfect way to boost your protein needs. If you’re from the south of America, then you would of course be familiar with the famous side dish of the region, Red Beans and Rice.
(Cooking Time: 10 minutes Preparation Time: 15 minutes Servings: 4)
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Amount per Serving / Calories 289g / Fats 8g / Cholesterol 0mg / Total Carbohydrate 18g / Protein 10g
KITCHEN TOOLS
- Sauté Pan
- Hot Skillet
INGREDIENTS
- ½ pound of dried red beans (or a large tin of drained and rinsed red beans)
- 4 tomatoes (in season) or 1 can of crushed diced tomatoes out of season
- 1 bird’s eye chili or 1 green chili
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch of minced fresh ginger (if not 1 teaspoon of ground ginger)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (if not vegetable oil)
- The juice of a lemon
- 5 or 6 sprigs of mint (30-40 leaves)
DIRECTIONS:
- For dried beans (if not go to the next step): rinse and drain the red beans (you can soak them for a few hours too, this option is optional, do it if you have time). Put them in a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for about 30 minutes (they must be “almost” cooked but not too much otherwise they turn into a puree for the rest of the recipe). Salt if necessary (but only at the end of cooking because the salt stops the cooking). Drain and reserve.
- Peel the onion, ginger (if using fresh), and garlic cloves. Finely chop everything with the chilli (whole green or bird) and set aside.
- Pour the oil into a sauté pan or hot skillet. Gently melt the onion-garlic-ginger mixture while stirring.
- Add the garam Masala, turmeric, and lemon juice.
- Add the beans and the diced tomatoes or the can of crushed tomatoes.
- Cover and cook over very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Wash and spin the mint leaves, chop them and add them a few minutes before the end of the ingredients
- Serve with rice or naan bread.
If you enjoyed this recipe or have suggestions on how we can improve it, please leave us a comment below. Also, make sure to check out other dishes I’ve created or stories I’ve written about food culture – here.
