I’m in a phase it seems: slow cooking! It is just so nice to throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and come home to a delightful dinner with little preparation left. This recipe for rajma masala (kidney bean curry) was recommended to me by my brother in law who tried it out of Anupy Singla’s The Indian Slow Cooker. I adapted it a little to suit our tastes. I sauteed the onions and garlic to avoid the metallic taste that can sometimes happen when crock pot cooking. We found this version to be very rich and heavier than our usual rajma masala which is more tomatoey.

1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 tablespoon  cumin seeds
1 onion sliced
6 garlic cloves sliced
1 inch ginger minced
5 green chilis chopped
1 more tablespoon butter or ghee
1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans (not soaked)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon rajma masala
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups water
Cilantro for garnish

1. Heat the butter in a skillet or saute pan.
2. Add the cumin and let toast a little.
3. Add the onions cook over fairly high heat until a little sauteed adding the garlic part way through cooking. The onions don’t need to be transclucent, you’re just getting them started so that they have a nice sauteed flavor and add no metallic taste to the final crockpot dish.
4. Add the ginger, green chilis and the rest of the butter and cook for another few seconds.
5. Throw the kidney beans, onion mixture, tomato paste, spices and salt in the slow cooker and cook on high for 10-11 hours.
6. Top with cilantro and serve with tandoor roti and/or rice, papad, yogurt and sliced onions with lime and chaat masala. Yum!