This recipe just warms my heart. Maybe it’s because my friend Asha made it – and she’s a warm soul who is a force in the kitchen. Maybe it’s because it’s that time of year when eating warm, spicy foods just feels indulgent and grounding. Either way, you’re in for a treat.

Rajma is a popular Indian vegetarian curry highlighting red kidney beans in a flavorful, thick tomato sauce served over rice. I particularly like this recipe because it brings together some of my favorite spices (garam masala, turmeric and cumin) with some super anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, heart healthy garlic.

One ingredient that gets a special shout-out is ghee. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that originated in Indian cooking. It’s commonly used in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, traditional medicine, and religious rituals. Ghee has a higher smoke point than other fats, making it ideal for stove top cooking and sautéing. It gives food a gentle aromatic flavor of butter, but with a nuttiness that it simply divine. Although ghee is made from butter, it is lactose-free and does not contain casein (milk protein), so it’s not as pro-inflammatory as dairy tends to be. When purchasing, opt for grass-fed organic ghee.

Ayurvedic medicine considers ghee to be in the “mode of goodness” when used in food. It’s healing and anchoring, providing physical and spiritual weight to the food it’s cooked in. Ghee is rich in fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, E and K. Vitamin K is particularly important for the support of strong bones.

Ghee can be especially helpful to those with digestive issues that make it difficult to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Think about using ghee if you have Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, irritable bowel syndrome, or increased intestinal permeability (also called leaky gut syndrome).

I think ghee is particularly fascinating because it’s rich in butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA). SCFAs are by-products of the digestion of our fiber-rich foods by the good little probiotics in our digestive track. SCFAs then act as anti-inflammatory messengers all around the body and, in turn, support a healthy microbiome.

I’ve experimented with this recipe using different vegetarian sources of protein, including other beans and lentils (mostly because I just didn’t happen to have kidney beans on hand). All of them tasted delicious! While not a traditional rajma without the kidney beans, Asha’s mix of spices can elevate any vegetarian protein you may have in your pantry.

And consider investing in an Instant Pot - it will change your life!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 red onion

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

½ tsp ginger powder or 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 tomatoes

1 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin

1-2 Tbsp tomato paste (ketchup works in a pinch!)

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I recommend the brand Eden Organic because it’s pressure-cooked before canning making it easier on digestion)

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala

¼ tsp turmeric or ¾ tsp freshly grated turmeric

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp chili pepper flakes (optional )

1 Tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee or other sautéing oil

Cooked rice for serving

Plain full-fat Greek yogurt (optional)

Directions for Instant Pot

1. In a food processor blend red onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger into a liquid. (If you don’t have a food processor, just finely mince all of the ingredients and mix together well in a bowl.)

2. Saute cumin seeds in hot oil in saute mode on the Instant Pot. Once fragrant, add the tomato mixture. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook down.

3. Add spices, salt, and chili. Mix well.

4. Add the rinsed beans. Add a little water so that the beans are half-way covered with the sauce.

5. Turn off the Instant Pot. Switch to pressure cook mode. Secure lid and set to 5 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally (but if you're in a hurry, it’s okay to release manually).

6. Serve the rajma on top of rice, and add a spoonful of Greek yogurt, if desired.

Directions for stove top

1. In a food processor blend red onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger into a liquid. (If you don’t have a food processor, just finely mince all of the ingredients and mix together well in a bowl.)

2. Saute cumin seeds in hot oil in a pot over medium heat. Once fragrant, add the tomato mixture. Cook for 15 minutes on the stove. Add tomato paste and continue to cook down.

3. Add spices, salt, and chili. Mix well.

4. Add the rinsed beans. Add a little water so that the beans are half-way covered with the sauce.

5. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes. Then cover and simmer on low for another 10 minutes or so.

6. Serve the rajma on top of rice, and add a spoonful of Greek yogurt, if desired.

Enjoy!