Blogging Marathon# 30: Week 1/ Day 3
Theme: Cooking with Curd
Dish: Rajma Mutter (Kidney Beans & Green Peas with Yogurt & Cream)
As I was looking through 660 Curries for dishes to make with yogurt/ curd, I found a recipe that used Lotus root and I wanted to make because I’ve never cooked lotus root before. I remember seeing it in my local Korean store and went there this morning, but I was totally disappointed seeing dried out and almost rotten lotus roots.
Came home and went back to 660 Curries. I love beans and I found Rajma and Mutter curry with yogurt and cream. I was skeptical on how the combination of yogurt and cream would take like, but I trusted Raghavan Iyer enough to give the dish a try. I’m glad I did, it turned out to be a spicy and creamy dish that is unlike I’ve ever tasted. The textural difference between the nutty bite of kidney beans and the soft squishy green peas was very appealing especially with the creamy-tart yogurt base.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Red Kidney Beans - cooked (I used rinsed and drained canned kidney beans)
- 2 cups Green peas (I used frozen green peas)
- ½ cup Yogurt
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- ½ tsp Peppercorns
- ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 20 - 25 Curry leaves (I didn't have any fresh curry leaves, so I skipped it)
- 2 Ginger " , roughly chopped
- 2 chilies Green
- 2 tsps Rice flour (can also use either cornstarch or besan/ chickpea flour)
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- Combine coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, green chilies and ginger in a mortar. Pound with the pestle until a coarse paste forms.
- Heat 2tbsp ghee or oil in a medium sauce pan; add the pounded mixture and stir-fry to cook the spices without burning them, about 30 seconds. Add the kidney beans and green peas, mix well with the spices.
- Pour 1 cup of water and sprinkle the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Combine the yogurt and cream in a small bowl and whisk them together. The fat in cream stabilizes yogurt and prevents it from curdling. Pour this mixture into the saucepan and continue to boil the curry, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the kidney beans and green peas are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Whisk rice flour (cornstarch or besan) in 2tbsp of cold water, making sure that there are no lumps. Pour this into the curry and mix well, curry with thicken instantly, cook for 2 minutes and serve.
Notes
Srivalli
This is yet another interesting dish Pavani..so nice that you are making from cook book as well!
Gayathri's Cook Spot
Looks very tasty Pavani. Must be a rich gravy with yogurt and cream..
Sapana Behl
Looks like you have abundant of these exotic dishes and they came out so perfectly. Hats off to you!!
Priya Suresh
Even here is chinese store we get rarely super fresh lotus roots, thats the disadvantage of living in abroad na.. Btw this dish looks fabulous and sounds very healthy.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
Wow Rajma and yogurt! Very interesting combo. As always love your pictures Pavani!
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
love all the ingredients in this although I would never have thought to cook in yogurt. I get lotus root in Chinatown but even there it’s a hit or miss – sometimes it’s fresh and other times horrible