Creamy spiced beans
Veg
Ingredients
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200g/7oz/1 cup whole black urad beans
60g/2oz red kidney beans
4tsp peeled and very finely grated fresh ginger
4tsp crushed garlic
2 medium tomatoes, grated or finely chopped
2tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
2-3 tsp salt or to taste
85g/3oz freshly made white butter, if avaliable, or any unsalted butter
120ml/4fl oz/½ cup single cream
2tsp Punjabi garam masala
- For the Final Dish or Tarka
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a generous dollop of unsalted butter or 3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 smallish onion (25g/1oz), cut into very fine half-rings
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 tbsp chopped, fresh green coriander (optional)
Preparation method
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Wash the 2 types of beans and drain. Cover with water and leave to soak overnight. Drain. In a large pan, combine the beans with 2.75l/5pt water and bring to the boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 3-4 hours or until the beans are quite tender. With a potato masher, beat or mash about half of the beans lightly until they form an exceedingly coarse purée. Half the beans should remain whole. Add the ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cayenne pepper, salt, butter, cream and garam masala. Cook very gently for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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The beans may be served just this way with a final dollop of butter at the top. They are also very good with taraka. For this, heat the ghee or oil in a small pan or small frying pan over a medium high heat. When hot, put in the onion. Stir and fry. When the onion is a rich, reddish brown, put in the cayenne pepper. Immediately lift up the pan and empty its contents into the pot with the beans.
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Garnish with the fresh coriander, if desired, before serving.
