Rajmah - Sara's Indian Chili

So I guess I'm on a bit of a bean kick here. We were over at our friends Sara and Kiran's house not too long ago celebrating Sara's (a different Sara) birthday. Kiran's family is Indian so we were pretty sure that we'd be treated to some Indian deliciousness. Ironically, the Saras made this, not Kiran. Paddy and I were blown away at the flavor...I was even more surprised when Sara sent me the recipe and I realized how EASY it is!!

1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green chili, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (double if you don't use green chili)
8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 cup chicken broth
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 oz can of red kidney beans, undrained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a deep saucepan. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili and let sizzle for one minute. 

2. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. 

3. Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus 1 cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.

4. Serve over rice or with naan. A dollop of plain yogurt on top is heavenly.