Red kidney bean & potato curry

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

10 fresh curry leaves

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, grated

2.5cm (1 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 potato, peeled and cut into 1cm (½ inch) cubes

2 x 400g (14oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

300ml (10fl oz) boiling water

handful of fresh coriander leaves

Directions

Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Once they start to sizzle, add the onions and cook over a medium heat for 6 minutes until lightly golden. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and all the ground spices and mix well, then add the potato and beans with the measured boiling water. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. (If you have more time, you can alternatively let the curry cook over a low heat for 30–40 minutes.)

Sprinkle with the coriander leaves, then serve.

Notes

I love a red kidney bean curry, or rajma as we call it, and usually soak the dried beans overnight before cooking them slowly in the curry the next day until they are super soft. Clearly, that isn’t possible for a 30-minute dish, but canned beans make a good alternative, and cooked here with potato and spices, this may well become a curry favourite. Serve with rice, or Spiced Layered Flatbread or Tandoori Masala Roti.