Rajma, creamy kidney bean curry

Start by preparing your ingredients. Dice the onions (2 large)), grate the garlic (2 garlic) using a microplane, and grate the fresh ginger (20 g). Once everything is prepped, place a large pan over medium heat and drizzle in the olive oil (30 ml) (or ghee if preferred). Add the diced onions along with a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Next, add the grated garlic (2 garlic) and ginger (20 g) to the pan, followed by the ground coriander (6 g), ground cumin (3 g), turmeric (2 g), and chilli flakes (1 g). Stir everything together and cook for about 1 minute until the mixture becomes fragrant and the spices are well combined with the onions (2 large)).

Add the kidney beans (2 beans) to the pan, followed by the tomato passata (600 g) and vegetable stock (200 ml). Stir everything together thoroughly, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Allow the curry to cook for 20 minutes so the flavours can develop and the sauce can thicken slightly.

While the curry is simmering, prepare the raita. Place the yogurt into a bowl, then peel and deseed half of a cucumber (1) before dicing it into small pieces. Add the cucumber to the yogurt, along with finely chopped fresh coriander (6 g) and mint leaves. Sprinkle in a pinch of cumin (3 g), season with salt to taste, and mix everything together until well combined. Set aside until ready to serve.

Once the curry has finished simmering, stir in the cream along with the garam masala (2 g). To achieve a silky, creamy texture, blend about one-third of the curry using an immersion blender directly in the pan. If you don't have one, you can remove a portion of the curry, blend it in a standard blender or food processor, and return it to the pan.

Finally, season the curry to taste with fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve hot with rice or flatbread, and finish with a spoonful of the raita, along with some fresh coriander (6 g) and a pinch of mint if desired.