Sunday Kidney Bean & Tomato Curry
Comfort with a Kick
Sunday Red Kidney Bean & Tomato Curry | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
When I was seven years old I wanted to be a waitress when I grew up. Or a nun. I went on to achieve the former ambition, but not the later.
I honed my restaurant skills in our family dining room by serving Sunday breakfast (which would now be called brunch), the ritual meal we enjoyed following mass each week. The fact that my Sunday was spent learning how to stack plates on my arm and not in prayer was probably a good indicator that I wasn’t headed for the convent.
I thought back to those family meals when I was reading Vikas Khanna’s introduction to his recipe for Sunday Kidney Bean & Tomato Curry, his family’s go-to Sunday lunch. My family’s meal was quite different—scrambled eggs and bacon with poppyseed rolls and crumb cake from our local bakery--but the feeling is the same. As Vikas says, special recipes from your family archive can so easily evoke the feeling that “all is right with the world.”
My mom didn’t feature beans too often at mealtime—eggs and bacon, meat and potatoes were her standard fare. Yet I’ve come to depend on beans for that cozy feeling, not because of fond memories from my youth, but because of their texture and adaptability. They can make a fast meal with a few shakes of cumin and some rice or take on a co-starring role in complicated cassoulet. Beans have your back.
I probably cook with beans once a week or thereabouts and generally rely on Latin and Cajun recipes when I make them. This recipe gave me a chance to try them with spices I associate more with Indian food, and usually use when I make lentils. I liked the chance to change things up, so I gave it a try.
It was an easy recipe to follow and came out exactly as I expected. Even better, actually, because I had thought perhaps this might be one of those recipes that tastes good but doesn’t look all that appetizing (as I food blogger I’ve come across my share of those!). I was wrong about that. Not only is this dish tasty, but looks and smells yummy.
I think it’s the combination of coriander and garam masala that put this one over the top for me. It’s a no-fuss recipe that delivers the reliably comforting texture of beans with a saucy, sweet, and spicy finish that is lovely on its own but could readily adapt to the addition of other veggies, like squash, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, or cauliflower.
So, while bacon will always be at the top of my list of comfort foods for its delectability as well as the memories it holds, as a nod to better health (my own as well as that of the planet) I don’t cook with it very often. Beans may not have the same tug at my heart, but over the years I’ve come to see them as comfort food at its finest.
Sunday Red Kidney Beans & Tomato Curry | Dara O’Brien
Sunday Kidney Bean & Tomato Curry Recipe
Click here for printable recipe.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh green chile peppers (such as serrano), minced
2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala (page 25)
1 (15½ -ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
2 sprigs fresh cilantro, for garnish
PREPARATION
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add the cumin seeds and let sizzle for 1 minute. Add the onions and thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, green chiles, tomatoes, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala and fry until very fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
To the same saucepan, add the beans, water, and salt and cook until the flavors are well developed, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Remove about ½ cup beans, mash them, and add back to the pot. Mix well. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Adjust the salt to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve garnished with a few sprigs of cilantro.
Recipe from “Flavors First” by Vikas Khanna, published by Lake Isle Press, 2011
Sunday Kidney Beans & Tomato Curry
from “Flavors First” by Vikas Khanna, Lake Isle Press, 2011
OTHER RECIPES FROM THIS BOOK
Brown Basmati with Caramelized Onions and Broccoli
Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime
Cabbage and Mushrooms with Turmeric-Infused Butter
Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Curry
Chicken Tikka Masala
Dill and Cardamom Chicken
Masoor Daal
Orange-Ginger Chutney Recipe
Spring Onion and Pea Soup
Stir-Fried Potatoes with Green Beans and Mint
Sweet Eggplant Chutney
Yellow Lentils with Turmeric and Ginger
Flavors First draws from celebrated Indian Chef Vikas Khanna's culinary journey from his native India to his experience as a Michelin-starred chef in New York. With entire chapters devoted to every part of an Indian meal (even breads, chutneys, desserts and beverages) and an ingredient and spice glossary that includes tips on handling and storage, Flavors First is an indispensable resource on Indian home cooking.
“Vikas Khanna's enthusiasm for food is so intense that it practically explodes off the page. I could taste the dishes just by reading the recipes.” —Jean-Georges Vongerichten