Kidney Beans Spinach Masala

Rajma Chawal in India is a staple for almost the whole region so it goes without saying that its Rohit’s favorite meal too. Kidney beans in India are commonly known as rajma and are a very popular North Indian dish.

With that in mind I wanted to add some greens into these protein rich beans and make it even healthier for my family yet maintaining the Indian flavors.  Spinach is the friendliest green leaves to most of us who do not like too many vegetables or are picky eaters and instead of cooking kidney beans in a traditional style I wanted to make it thicker and richer yet healthier and lighter in calories without compromising on taste.

For this, I mainly I played with the spices from my kitchen spice rack. I used the most common spices available in our pantry because I wanted to make this recipe super family friendly and moreover I was just lazy to go to the store to explore any exotic spices not to forget the budget part.

I love grinding masala paste for many reasons – 1. It makes our work easy, 2. Reduces the cooking time, 3. Blends most of the flavors perfectly bringing out some fantastic taste to the dish. So I made a paste out of onions, tomatoes, sesame seeds, spinach, cloves, peppercorns and green cardamom along with its skin. When sautéed in warm oil this masala paste generated mouthwatering aroma.  Cinnamon powder added mild sweetness and softness to the masala paste and turmeric is used in most of the indian recipes and acts as an antiseptic. After adding rest of the spices the gravy tasted super delectable and each and every spice payed its role beautifully in this entrée.

Lastly, I added boiled kidney beans and topped with very little garam masala to give it a strong aroma of Indian flavor and Kidney Beans Spinach Masala was ready within 25 minutes.

The ingredients might look a little too many but these are absolutely common spices and takes only 25 minutes for Kidney Beans Spinach Masala to get ready. Serve it with naan, roti, paratha, rice, pilaf and a side salad. Enjoy unlimited. 🙂

Print

Kidney Beans Spinach Masala

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves 4

Per Serving 225 calories

Fat 12 g

Carbs 23 g

Protein 9 g

4

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 roma tomatoes (roughly chopped)
• ¼ cup white sesame seeds
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 peppercorns
• 4 green cardamoms
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• Pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• Pinch of ginger powder
• 1 15 oz can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp garam masala

Instructions

1. In a food processor combine, onions, tomatoes, sesame seeds, spinach, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom and grind smooth.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds and cinnamon powder. Let the seeds cook for a few seconds.
3. Add the spinach paste to it and sauté. Cook for 5 minutes in a medium flame or until cooked thoroughly.
4. Now, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, ginger powder, chili powder and sauté very well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until all the spices are cooked properly and you get the aroma.
5. Now add kidney beans and mix so as to coat each kidney bean with the spinach paste.
6. Now water, salt and garam masala. Mix, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
7. Turn off the flame and serve hot with rice, quinoa, chapatti or naan and a side salad.

Notes

¼ inch cinnamon stick can also be used to replace cinnamon powder if desired.

If boiling kidney beans at home you may use the stock instead of adding water. If using canned kidney beans then rinse and drain. Measure kidney beans after draining.

Feel free to adjust the measurement of chili powder according to taste.