Rajma Masala

Ingredients:

1. Rajma ( kidney beans) - 2 cups soaked for 12 hours or more
2. Tomatoes - 2
3. Onions - 2
4. Garlic - 5-6 pods
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece
6. Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
8. Chilli powder - 1/2 or 1 tsp.
9. Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp.
10. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp.
11. Bay leaf - 1 or 2
12. Salt - to taste
13. Oil - 1 tbsp.

Procedure:

1. Finely chop onions and tomatoes. Crush ginger-garlic using a pestle. (Earlier I used to puree the tomatoes, onions and ginger-garlic together in a mixer, but later switched to this method).If garam masala is not available, pound a small piece of cinnamon and 2-3 cloves and use this powder instead.
2. Pressure cook the soaked rajma directly in a cooker for 8-10 whistles with enough water to cover the rajma . The soaking time and the duration of cooking depend on the type of rajma. Red rajma takes longer to cook whereas white rajma cooks sooner. You can also try using Kashmiri rajma which cooks easily. When pressed lightly between 2 fingers, the cooked rajma should get mashed. If not, the rajma needs to be cooked for a longer time. Rajma can never be overcooked. So it is always better to cook for a longer time in case of doubt. Once the rajma is completely cooked, mash it lightly with a masher. This makes the gravy homogeneous.
3. While the rajma is cooking, heat oil in a kadai, add bay leaf, ginger-garlic paste and fry lightly. Add chopped onions and fry well for 5 minutes till the onions turn light brown and shrink. Add chopped tomatoes to this and cook well till the tomatoes are soft. Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder and garam masala powder to this.
4. Add the above masala to the cooked rajma in the cooker and mix well. Add salt as per taste. Add a little water to adjust the consistency.
5. Cook this again for one or two more whistles in the pressure cooker. 
6. Serve with rotis or rice. You might want to make the gravy thicker for rotis than for rice.

I tried the same recipe with fresh alasande kaalu ( fresh black eyed beans or karamani). Since this was fresh, I skipped the soaking step and also the cooking time required was less. It tasted just as good.