Indian Red Beans

The onions are the key

This would be good with red lentils as well.

Baked Rajma

• 1 red onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 fresh green chile
• 1″ piece fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
•  28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups kidney beans soaked and cooked
• ½ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• ½ cup heavy cream 
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For the Pickle

• 3 tsp granulated sugar
• 3 tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Quarter the onion, then thinly slice one portion. Set aside sliced onion. Blend remaining onion with garlic, chile and ginger. Purée until fairly smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. In a large, deep ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the cumin seeds and cook until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds. Add the onion mixture and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the excess liquid has evaporated and the mixture is just starting to take on a golden color, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the beans and chile powder to the onion mixture, and mix well. Use a fork to mash a tablespoon or so of the beans against the side of the skillet to help thicken the sauce. Add tomatoes and garam masala to the beans, and mix well. Drizzle the top with cream then slide into the oven and bake, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the top is lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes without stirring. Prepare the pickle: While the beans are baking, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Transfer 3/4 cup hot water to a small bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Add the reserved onion slices to the boiling water in the saucepan, turn off the heat and, after 1 minute, drain the onion. Transfer the softened onion to the small bowl and stir in the vinegar. When the beans are ready, fish out the pickled onion slices and arrange on top, letting a few drops of the pickling liquid flick over the beans to season them. Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice, buttered toast or flour tortillas.