Spicy Chili Soup (Rajmah Curry)

Fun Facts: My dorm mates in graduate school introduced me to the dish called Chili in America. The red kidney beans so typical of this dish, is used in a very similar entree in India called Raajmah. It is a slow-simmered curry of red kidney beans with onion, garlic, ginger and a variety of warm spices. If you fuse the basic main ingredients with some of the aromatic spices, you come up with this vegetarian version. You can always make it non-vegetarian by adding ground meat to it. My daughter eats it only if I call it a soup and hence the nomenclature.

INGREDIENTS:
1½ c. red kidney beans (or 2 cans)
2 - 3 cloves of garlic
½ red onion

1" stick ginger
2 green chillies (for a spicy kick)
1 c. tomato puree
½ tsp. turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder

½ tsp. dried-mango powder (Amchur)
A pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
½ tsp. red chilly powder (for the spicy kick)

½ c. cream
¼ c. chopped cilantro leaves
3 - 4 Tbsp. oil

3 c. water or stock

METHOD:
• Soak the lentils overnight if using fresh beans. If using canned lentils, this step is not required.
• Wash the lentils well. Boil in a covered vessel (or pressure cook) until lentils are very
soft. If pressure cooking the lentils, cook on low heat for at least 10 minutes
after one whistle.
• Grind the onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies into a paste with very little water.
• Heat oil and sauté the ground paste with a pinch of sugar. Keep stirring until the paste turns brownish in color.
• Add the tomato puree along with salt, turmeric, coriander, cumin, dried-mango powder and chilly powder. Follow with the boiled lentils and water or stock. Cook covered on low heat for about ten minutes. Stir occasionally. Be careful of splattering.
• Remove from heat and drizzle the cream on top. Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro. Serve as a main entree or a hearty soup.