Keen on Kidney Beans

During my lunch hour today, I decided to look for fresh ideas on healthy lunches for school.  I have run out of meal contraptions based on wheat, salad/fruit and dairy.  So, I thought to myself, this leaves us with rice and beans.  Speaking of beans, I can feel my mouth watering just thinking of this delish curry with dark red kidney beans as the main ingredient.  To make this easier to prepare, I use two shortcuts.  One, I use canned beans (however, I would recommend soaking dry beans overnight and cooking them in the pressure cooker to get them to be exactly like the canned version, minus the preservatives).  The second shortcut is that I use store bought masala called Rajma masala (this is available in Indian grocery stores), for flavor.  Now, all we need to do is make the base of the curry using onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes.  It is so worth it!

Kidney Beans Curry (Rajma)

A can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Medium red onion - finely chopped
Medium red tomato (fresh preferred over canned) - diced
2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
Rajma masala
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnishing
1/2 cup of water/vegetable stock

Heat oil in saucepan.  Add onions and saute until pinkish brown, then add the ginger/garlic paste, saute until done but not burnt.  Next, add the tomatoes and salt.  Saute for a couple of minutes before adding rajma masala.  Add beans and water, and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes till beans become tender.  Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or naan.  Inhale the aroma and dig in!