Rajma Masala

For the first time, I tried Rajma masala at home in Germany. The last word is the most important here, because my kitchen counter is no more than 20 inches * 40 inches. And i have a small storage for spices as well. I am no spice combination guru. So my combinations are limited, coming to the a simple dish.
There is Gandhi Asia store to buy Indian grocery in Nuremberg, but he has all Asian grocery and not just Indian. A bigger version of the Gandhi Asia store is in Erlangen. I suppose Kidney beans would be available is normal grocery stores as well.

What you need
1 cup Rajma/ Kidney beans (soak overnight or soak 3 hours and pressure cook 3-4 times)

1 Tsp Dhaniya
1/2 inch ginger
1 Tsp red chilli powder/ cayenne pepper
1 Tsp garam masala
1 big Onion
2 tomatoes
1 Tbsp Jeera/ Cumin
2 Tbsp Oil (Olive or sunflower)
Salt

How to...
• Soak Rajma overnight and pressure cook the beans in the same water. (You can soak for 3 hours and pressure cook them 3-4 times as well)
• Shred the Onion and Ginger. Heat oil in a pan and add Jeera. Once it splits, add the entire onion and ginger shreddings and sautee till brown.
• Grind tomatoes and add the puree into the pan. Sautee for 5-10 min till the paste cooks.
• Add Dhaniya, chilli powder, garam masala and sautee for 1-2 mins.
• Add the Rajma beans along with the cooking water. Sautee and add salt (about 1 Tbsp)

Mint rice with dried peas and fried krutons

Achala came up with a new recipe which I intend to try soon. If only I find fresh mint herbs at a farmers market here.

You'll need, 

3 bread slices - cut into cubes and fried lightly
1/2 cup Dried peas - soaked overnight
1 cup rice
1 Onion 
1/2 tomato
Salt to taste
1 tspn Jeera powder
Oil

Paste:
A handful of mint leaves
2 green chillies
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 inch Ginger
2 cloves of Garlic


Spices:
2 peices each of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bayleaves.
1 tspn of fennel seeds
1 tspn of jeera
Cook the rice with the soaked dried peas
- Blend together everything needed for the paste
- Heat the oil in a pan, put in all the spices + jeera + Onions + Tomato
- After the onions cook, put in the mint paste and the rice
- Add Salt
- After 1 min add the fried bread. 
- Mix in everything throughly and serve with Raita 

Vegetable Sagoo

It feels good and ironically funny that my comeback post on this blog had to be Sagoo. But as luck, time or the universe would have it, I made Sagoo again. No MTR mix, but a from-the-scratch recipe. Very close to  the Bengaluru home taste, and the look and feel...

What you need
5 strands of Cilantro/ Parsely
2 Tbsp of Coconut gratings (frozen, dried, packaged or fresh)
1" ginger
1" stick of cinnamon
5-6 pepper seeds or equal pepper powder
3 green chillies
2 Tbsp of Hurigadale


1 onion. Use it as 2 halves
Mustard Seeds,
Jeera
Hing
Salt
Mixed vegetables (best combination I do with is potatoes, carrots, beans and peas - colorful mix)

How To...
• Boil the vegetables or pressure cook them
• Put all the top set of ingredients and a half onion into a mixer and grind them thoroughly to a paste. Use half cup water. You could use the extra boiled water to mix.
• Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan, add Mustard seeds, Jeera, hing and curry leaves (optional). Add the other half onion and fry well. Once this is cooked, add the masala paste and mix well.
• Add the boiled vegetables and sautee for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. We are all set!