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Kidney Beans with Potatoes and Tomatoes

Like most Indian families a good meal means rice and curry for us. I can’t go even a day without at least one bowl of rice and vegetables. We also love our spices. I can’t possibly cook in a kitchen with no spices. A pinch of turmeric or a few mustard seeds can add so much to a simple vegetable dish. Of course there has to be chilies… red and green, small and big, fresh and powdered! I really like hot, spicy food. When I was pregnant I craved only spice! My entire family was worried about the amount of spice I was eating. I had never eaten so many chilis in my entire life before.

But now it’s a different story. My daughter Alaru can’t handle any spice in her food. She loves her vegetables with very little to no spice! I had to make 2 curries instead of one, one with spices and the other with no spices. Soon I realized that I have to start cooking dishes which all of us can enjoy together. I started making stir-fries and curries with no chili in it. To my surprise I LOVED it!

Now I can cook any vegetable into a tasty curry with no chilies. Vegetables and beans are naturally full of flavor and sometimes we tend to kill it with trying to too much with it. Simply steam, boil or fry them without adding too many things and you will have yourself a tasty dish full of flavor.

This kidney bean dish is one such example. I soaked dry kidney beans overnight and cooked them till soft but you can make the same dish with canned kidney beans too. It is then cooked with potatoes and tomatoes. The only spice used in this dish is cumin seeds. Sprinkled with some freshly chopped cilantro this warm, filling dish is great by itself or with a bowl of rice.

It is easy to make, healthy, full of nutrition and of course very tasty! The kind of food I cook at home for my family.

dry kidney beans

beans after soaking overnight

cooked till soft

cooked with potatoes and tomatoes

warm and filling dish

[typography font=”Cantarell” size=”24″ size_format=”px” color=”#b36f98″]Ingredients:[/typography]

• 2 cups of cooked kidney beans
• 1 cup potato cubes
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• Salt

If you are using dry kidney beans – soak the beans in water for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight. Next morning discard the water, rinse well. Pour enough water till all the beans are covered and cook till soft. This can take a long time and the cooking time with depend on the beans. I cooked them in a pressure cooker which cooked it really fast. In about 20minutes I had soft, buttery beans ready to use! If you are using canned beans just discard the water and rinse well.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. Fry it till fragrant and add the potato cubes. Mix well and let it get roasted in low flame. Be patient and let the potatoes turn light golden. Now add the beans and let it cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt. Throw in the chopped tomatoes. Don’t let it cook for more than a minute after you add the tomatoes. You want the tomato to be half cooked and juicy. Transfer it into a serving bowl and garnish it with a generous amount for finely chopped cilantro.