Ingredients for Rajma Cutlets

Preparation Time : 15 mins+ overnight soaking  Cooking Time : 35 mins Serves: 10 Cutlets

• 3/4 Cup of Rajma (Red Kidney Beans)
• 3 Potatoes
• 4 Garlic Cloves and 1 Inch of Ginger, crushed using mortar and pestle
• 5 Curry Leaves, Finely Chopped
• Pinch of Asafoetida
• Handful of Coriander Leaves, Chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp of Besan Flour (Gram Flour)
• 2 Tsp of Red Chilli Powder
• 1 Tsp of Cumin Powder
• 1/2 Tsp of Garam Masala
• 1/2 Tsp of Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for shallow frying
• Bread Crumbs from 3 toasted bread or store bought

Method for Rajma Cutlets

• Soak rajma (kidney beans) in water for overnight.  Next day, drain the water and transfer it to pressure cooker, add enough water. Pressure cook for 12 – 15 whistles and turn it off.
• Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and microwave it for 5 mins for each potato or pressure cook it for 3 whistles. Peel off the skin of potatoes, mash it and set it aside.
• In a blender, grind the beans coarsely, don’t add water while grinding.
• Heat a pan with oil, add ginger-garlic paste, fry for a min, add curry leaves, coriander leaves, asafoetida, red chilly powder, cumin powder and garam masala, fry for a min. Add kasuri methi, mix well and turn it off. Transfer this masala mixture to a mixing bowl, add mashed potatoes, ground beans, besan flour,  add salt, combine well with your fingers. If your mixture comes out dry, sprinkle some water, mix well and form like a dough.
• Pinch a small portions from the dough and roll into balls. Flatten the balls with your palm into cutlets.
• Roll the cutlets in bread crumbs. Heat a cast iron pan, add a tbsp of oil, spread it using paper towel, place cutlet and drizzle a tsp of oil on the sides of the cutlets, cook for few mins and flip to the other side using spatula and drizzle a tsp of oil again, cook on low flame until it turns golden colour. Carefully remove from the pan.
• Yummy rajma cutlet are ready to serve.

Tips

• Serve with ketchup or as sandwich by placing them between breads.
• You can have mixed vegetables in place of aloo (potato).
• Always cook cutlet in medium flame, please take more time to cook,  as rajma can cause flatulence or digestive issues.
• If you don’t have breadcrumbs, just toast it in oil without crumbs
• You can also deep fry the cutlet instead of shallow frying like I did.
• Add more gram flour if your dough is watery.

Ingredients for Araikeerai Kadaiyal

Preparation Time : 10 mins  Cooking Time : 10 mins  Serves: 3

• 3 Cups of Araikeerai
• 1 Tomato
• 2 Green Chillies
• 10 Small Onions (Shallots)
• 7 Garlic Cloves
• Pinch of Tamarind
• Salt to taste

To Temper

• 2 Tsp of Gingelly Oil
• 1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tsp of Urad Dal
• 1 Red Chilly
• Pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)

Method for Araikeerai Kadaiyal

• Clean the greens in tap water for 3 times. Chop it finely.
• Heat a pan with 1 cup of water, add onion, garlic, greenchilly, tomato, pinch of tamarind and araikeerai, allow it to boil for 7-10 mins until the leaves has wilted and cooked. Cool it for sometime.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender, add salt to it and grind well to a puree consistency and transfer it to a bowl.
• Heat a pan with oil, when it is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilly and asafoetida, after it splutters, transfer this to bowl and mix well.
• Hot, tasty keerai kadaiyal is ready to serve with hot steamed rice and ghee.

Tips

• You can do the same kadaiyal with other greens like mullaikeerai or seerukeerai or pasalakeerai.
• Don’t buy yellowish or wilted greens for cooking.
• Use big onion instead of shallots.
• Add a pinch of sugar while cooking to retain green colour..This is optional.

Ingredients for Tomato Puree Homemade Recipe

Preparation Time : 5 mins  Cooking Time: 15 mins  Serves: 1.5 Cups

• 12 Medium Size Tomatoes
• 2 Tsp of Vinegar
• Water as needed

Method for Tomato Puree Homemade Recipe

• Choose ripe and firm tomatoes. Wash them in tap water to remove dirt.
• Then using knife, make plus mark at the bottom of each tomato ( This will make peeling easier)
• Boil water in a pot or pan, bring it to boil, when it starts boiling, slowly add tomatoes and cook in a medium flame for 12 min or until the skin starts to split. Turn off the stove.
• Place a colander in the sink, carefully pour the water into the colander so that tomatoes sits in the colander. Wash the tomatoes in cold running water for 2 mins.
• Start peeling the skin from the cut portion of the tomatoes. Now transfer them to a blender and grind it until it turns smooth along with water. Cool it for sometime.
• Transfer this puree to a storing jar, add vinegar, mix it, date the jar and store it in a refrigerator.

Tips

• To increase the shelf life of the puree. After grinding the puree, heat it again in a pan along with sugar for 5 mins and then store it.
• Always use clean spoon while using the puree.
• You can use any variety of tomatoes like big round tomatoes (the one we get in farmers market, in India we call it as nattu thakali) or bangalore tomato (roma tomato). Here I used roma tomatoes.