Dahi Elaichi Rajmah (Kidney Beans in a Cardamom-Yogurt Sauce)

Okay, this is definitely my new favourite kidney bean based curry. And not just because it gives me an excuse to make and eat freshly-fired pooris. (Although that is a pretty good reason!) I'm a big fan of the flavours in this curry. The punjabi garam masala gives it a nice cinnamon-y warmth and the cayenne adds just enough heat balanced with the lovely tart tang from the curdled yogurt. It's perfect. And, now that I know that I can buy frozen, ready-to-fry pooris from the Indian grocery, I suspect this will be a recipe that I revisit with some frequency.

Dahi Elaichi Rajmah

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 c. cooked red kidney beans
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cardamom pods and cook for a couple minutes until onion begins to brown.
3. Stir in yogurt and cook until liquid evaporates and only onion-flecked yogurt curds are left (~15 minutes).
4. Stir in turmeric.
5. Add kidney beans, water, salt, garam masala, and cayenne and stir to combine.
6. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has thickened (10-15 minutes).
7. Stir in cilantro.
8. Serve with fresh pooris and, if you'd like a bit more kick, lime pickles.