Mummiji: Slow-Simmered Rajma with Burnt-Onion Masala
Make it the LXV way
Mummiji Spice Blend
Wine pairing
2023 Meso Sangiovese
100% Sangiovese from Armaa.N Vineyard, Willow Creek District. 136 cases. LXV's estate vineyard produces a Sangiovese of remarkable depth — dark fruit, spice, and a vibrant acidity that electrifies the palate.
Wine pairing
2023 Reserve Nebbiolo
100% Nebbiolo from Santa Ynez Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara. 135 cases. Harvested early in the morning, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel, aged 16 months in neutral French oak. Our most Barbaresco-like expression…
The Punjabi kidney-bean stew every North Indian kitchen argues about, built on a deeply browned onion masala and the Mummiji blend — our mother's house garam masala. The beans are finished with a splash of the red you're pouring, which pulls the dish toward the wine instead of away from it. Earthy, savory and low-tannin: exactly what the Meso Sangiovese's bright acid and the Reserve Nebbiolo's dried-rose grip are looking for.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
- 1 black cardamom pod and 1 bay leaf, for the boil
- 3 tbsp ghee (or neutral oil)
- 2 large yellow onions, very thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 4 ripe Roma tomatoes, halved and grated (skins discarded)
- 1 tbsp LXV Mummiji Spice Blend
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, for color more than heat
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup of the red wine you are serving
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between your palms
- 2 tbsp heavy cream, optional
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
- Steamed basmati rice and thinly sliced red onion, to serve
Method
- Drain the soaked beans, cover with 6 cups fresh water, add the black cardamom and bay leaf, and bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes. Lower to a bare simmer, partially cover, and cook 60-75 minutes until a bean crushes to paste between two fingers. Do not drain — the starchy liquid is the body of the dish.
- While the beans cook, melt the ghee in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until they collapse and go deep mahogany brown. Patience here is the entire recipe — pale onions make pale rajma.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry 1 minute until it stops smelling raw. Stir in the LXV Mummiji Spice Blend and Kashmiri chili and toast 30 seconds.
- Add the grated tomato and salt. Cook 12-15 minutes over medium heat until the masala thickens, darkens, and the ghee separates and pools at the edges. This is the doneness cue — do not move on early.
- Deglaze with the wine and let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
- Scoop the cooked beans plus 2 cups of their cooking liquid into the masala. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, mashing about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy.
- Crush in the kasuri methi, stir in the cream if using, and check for salt. Rest off the heat 10 minutes — rajma is always better after it sits.
- Finish with cilantro and serve over basmati with sliced red onion alongside.
More like this
https://www.lxvwine.com/recipes/mummiji-slow-simmered-rajma-with-burnt-onion-masala/ · LXV Wine, Paso Robles