Rajma masala bowl

Rajma chawal is Sunday food in so many Indian homes, and it does not need to be heavy to taste like home. This version uses less oil, keeps the masala simple, and frames the plate as a bowl: rajma for protein, a measured portion of rice, and a big salad for crunch. Soak the rajma overnight, the rest is easy.

Why it helps

Rajma is one of the best plant proteins in the Indian kitchen, and it comes packaged with plenty of fibre. That combination digests slowly, so lunch keeps you full well into the evening. Building the bowl as rajma plus rice plus salad, rather than a plate of rice with a little rajma on top, is the quiet shift that makes the meal work harder for you. More on this in protein for Indian women.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup rajma (kidney beans), soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• Red chilli powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
• 4 katoris cooked rice, about 1 katori per person
• 1 cucumber and 1 onion, sliced, with lemon juice, for the salad

Method

1. Drain the soaked rajma. Pressure cook with fresh water and a little salt for 5 to 6 whistles, until a bean presses easily between two fingers.
2. In a kadhai, heat the oil. Add cumin seeds, then the chopped onion. Cook until golden, not just soft.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder. Cook until the masala thickens and leaves the sides.
4. Add the boiled rajma with its cooking water. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes so the gravy thickens naturally, no cream needed.
5. Mash a few beans against the side of the kadhai to make the gravy rich and homely.
6. Finish with garam masala and fresh coriander.
7. Build each bowl: a ladle or two of rajma, one katori of rice, and a generous handful of cucumber-onion salad with lemon.

Make it your own

• Use ghee for the tadka if you enjoy the flavour, or keep it fully vegan with oil.
• Replace half the rice with extra rajma and salad on days you want a lighter bowl.
• Add a bowl of plain curd or chaas on the side for extra protein, skip it to stay vegan.

Enjoy it as part of the CurviCare Plate, and if rice portions confuse you, read does rice make you fat.