Bean there..

After our regular market visit, I cooked a yummo meal on the weekend, courtesy of Matthew Evans. Here's the recipe - give it a crack...

Red bean curry

500g dried kidney beans soaked overnight

2 large brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped

10cm piece ginger, peeled and grated

3-4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

400g can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp chilli powder

about 2 cups water

1 tsp salt

coriander sprigs, to serve

Drain the soaked beans, place in a saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer 1-1-1/2 hours until al dente and not quite cooked through.

Meanwhile in a food processor (or with a mortar and pestle) blend the onion and ginger to a paste. Fry this mixture in the oil over a very low heat as slowly as you can. The longer, the better. The mixture should go a deep brown colour. Add the garlic and a tiny bit of juice from the tomatoes and fry another minute or two. Then gradually add the tomatoes, so they are closer to a dry-fry than a boil. Try not to scorch the garlic or onion too much.

When a little oil weeps from this mixture, add the turmeric and a splash of water and cook another minute or two. Add the remaining spices and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the beans and water (you can use cooking water from the beans) and simmer for another 30-45 minutes or until cooked through. Add the salt and let the curry stand for a few minutes before serving (tastes even better the next day). Top with fresh coriander and serve with steamed rice and raita.