Rajma

Method

1. 1 Soak red beans for 8 hours, then simmer for 50 minutes with cinnamon and cloves until they are soft enough to be mashed.
2. 2 Roast the cumin seeds for one minute, then grind them finely — this is the main spice of Kashmiri rajma, replacing onions and garlic.
3. 3 Heat the oil, then add a pinch of hing and Kashmiri chili powder and cook for 20 seconds, being careful not to burn it as the chili powder will become bitter.
4. 4 Pour in the beans and broth, add the cumin powder and crushed ginger, then season with salt.
5. 5 Simmer the beans open for 20 minutes, mashing some of them; the broth should be a clear, reddish-brown, not cloudy like the Punjabi version with sautéed onions.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 45 min

  Replace step 1: simmer unsoaked beans in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes at high pressure with cinnamon and cloves, then release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes.