Kidney Beans and Turnip Curry (Goji
Rajma Shalgam Rasedar
Kiran Devi Gupta
Note from Savita, Kirans daughter:
This recipe is from Kashmir. Our neighbour in Delhi, aunty Dhar, was from Kashmir and it was she who taught my mother, Amma, how to make it. It then became one of our family favourites, and it still is, to this day. I have very found memories of aunty Dhar, it was she who gave me my name, Savita and she always treated me as her daughter, whenever I visited her later in life. Eating this dish always reminds me of her.
What I remember about this recipe is that it was cooked during the winter months. When the dinner was over and the coal stove was still quite hot, all the ingredients were put in a pot and left overnight to cook over it. During the night, the beans first boiled and then cooked slowly, as the coals eventually burnt through. The resulting dish really tasted so good, the turnips in it tasted so soft and divine. I liked turnips cooked only this way, I just did not want to eat them in any other dish. This was served with Boiled Rice, no one in our family wanting to eat Chapatties with it.
Cooking in Slow Cooker: Kidney beans must be boiled briskly for at least 10 minutes before cooking in slow cooker. Serves 6
Ingredients
500 gm. turnips
250 gm. kidney beans (Rajma)
1/2 litre water
2 tbs. mustard oil
1/2-1 tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp ground ginger powder (saunth)
A pinch of asafoetida
1 1/2 tsp. salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
Clean, wash and soak the kidney beans in a bowl of water overnight or at least 5-6 hours, in order to hydrate them fully.
Top and tail and peel turnips, cut into large chunks, like quarters.
Place the beans, the water in which they were soaked, and everything else, including unheated mustard oil, in a pressure cooker.
Cook under full pressure for 15-20 minutes. Cool pressure cooker. Then remove the lid. Check that beans are cooked through. If the beans are not completely soft, almost dissolving, pressure cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning.
Serve with Boiled Rice
