Rajma Masala with Lamb

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Here is one of our winter standbys. This dish is a bit labor-intensive on the front end, but we generally make several quarts at once. It can be frozen for fast meals on busy nights. It is a savory dish, full of warm spices, that can be tailored to the tastes of your family.

Ingredients

• 2 cups red kidney beans
• 2 pinches baking soda
• 2 large onions, pureed
• 3 large tomatoes, pureed
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 Tbsp ginger garlic paste (equal parts finely minced ginger & fresh garlic)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 heaped Tbsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder (see below)
• 2 1/2 Tbsps coconut oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsps ghee (optional) if not using ghee, replace with coconut oil
• Unrefined salt to taste
• 1 pound lamb cubes
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

Garam Masala Powder: Dry roast for 2 minutes and grind to a fine powder (Don’t worry if you can’t find an ingredient, it’ll still taste GREAT!) Sometimes, I can find this pre-made, and sometimes, I have to make it. It is a critical ingredient to the dish.

• 1/2″ stick cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1/2 star anise
• pinch mace powder
• 1/4 tsp black cumin
• pinch dry ginger powder

Instructions

1. Wash kidney beans and soak in water with baking soda overnight. Next day morning, rinse, add a Tbsp coconut oil and ghee, and simmer in fresh water until soft. Remove about 3/4 cup of cooked beans, crush coarsely and set aside.
2. Heat ghee and coconut oil in a large skillet. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf, and allow the seeds to toast. Stir fry for a few seconds, add ground onion paste and sauté until golden brown. Set aside.
3. Sauté ginger garlic paste gently until fragrant. Add onion and simmer until translucent. Add tomato puree and simmer until ghee separates from the mixture and the simmer shows boil bubbles evenly.
4. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Mix well and simmer again until oil separates.
5. Add this mixture to your cooked kidney beans along with the residual water from cooking the beans. Mix well, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add crushed kidney beans and some more water if required to achieve a gravy consistency. Cook for 8-10 minutes without lid on, medium flame, after adding the water. Add garam masala and cook on simmer with lid until you achieve a thick gravy consistency. Turn off heat and rest for at least an hour for the flavors to meld.
7. Saute 1-inch cubes of lamb in coconut oil/ghee. (We prefer to have our butcher cut a leg of lamb into 1-inch thick steaks, which we freeze in 1 pound units for this dish.)
8. Serve warm over soaked and cooked brown basmati rice with a dollop of sour cream or raita (chopped cucumber sauce). We usually replace half our water ratio for the rice with chicken stock, for a full-flavored and nutritious rice.

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