Rajma

Hello lovely readers! it feels like it's been awhile since i've sat down to write about food.

After coming back to school after a fun and relaxing time at home, i had to haul all of my stuff from my summer dorm to my dorm for the school year. naturally, the whole process of packing, moving, and unpacking meant that i mostly lived off of Subway sandwiches and stale cereal.

but i'm mostly settled into my new room now, and ready to cook all of the Indian comfort food I'm missing from back home.

Rajma is basically just a thick soup with kidney beans, lots of tomatoes, and yummy Indian spices.

I grew up eating rajma with fresh chapathis or parathas, but since i'm a college student with little time to spare on making fresh Indian bread, I left it up to Trader Joes to make my favorite whole wheat bread.

like i said, LOTS of tomatoes.  I also like to add in tomato paste for a little extra tomato flavor.

once your tomato-y gravy is simmering nicely and all of the spices have had time marinate, you can add in the kidney beans.  in a perfect world, i would buy dry kidney beans and soak them in water overnight before using them, but because that's not always feasible the night before a midterm, i use canned kidney beans.  if you are using canned beans, make sure to rinse them out thoroughly!

mmm this spicy, thick rajma almost made me feel like i was home again:)  

anyways, good luck to all of my college friends moving back into their dorms! 

And happy end-of-summer greetings from mmmtoospicy!

Rajma

3/4 large onion

1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 small green chile, chopped in half

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

5 ounces tomato paste

1/2 cup water

8 to 9 fresh Roma tomatoes

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon masala powder

2 fifteen-ounce cans of kidney beans, rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions, green chile, and garlic in a pan under medium-high heat.  When the onions are translucent, add the grated ginger and turmeric. After a few minutes, add the tomato paste, water, coriander, and masala powder.  When the pot is simmering, add the tomatoes and salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Lastly, add the kidney beans and allow the pot to simmer for a few more minutes.  Serve warm with rice, quinoa, or bread.