Kashmiri kidney beans with turnips

[yuuago]

Kashmiri-style kidney beans with turnips. This is a wonderful, fragrant, comforting dish. If you have some turnips kicking around, I definitely suggest giving it a try.



Ingredients:

2 turnips, peeled and cubed
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 cup finely chopped red onion
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala

Directions:

1. Place turnips into a saucepan with the water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the turnip is soft, about 5 minutes. Once tender, stir in the kidney beans, and cook 5 minutes more.

2. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the cumin and fennel, and cook until the spices toast and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the onion, and cook until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced ginger and garlic, cook and stir for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and salt, and continue cooking until the mixture turns pasty. Finally, stir in the paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, and 2 tablespoons water; cook 2 minutes more.

3. Add the tomato mixture to the turnips, and simmer 10 minutes. Season with garam masala before serving.


Substitutions/adjustments:
- Used 1 tsp panch poran instead of the cumin/fennel seeds
- Used 1.5 cups water for the turnips (necessary for me, I usually need to add extra water with my finicky cookware)
- Added the garam masala at the same time as the other spices, rather than using as garnish

Other stuff:
- Don't drain the turnips; you'll need that liquid when you mix them with the tomato gravy.
- It's listed as a side dish, but I think it could easily work as a main, depending on what else you're having with it.
- Might try this with potatoes next time, since I'm more likely to have those around the house.

Comments

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[minoanmiss]

I have a hopefully funny story to tell you about turnips. When I was a kid, half in the US and half in Jamaica, I read a lot of Victorian children's lit that mentioned exotic foods like rhubarb and turnips. I really wanted to try these strange delicacies, but it wasn't till my teens till I got my hands on some turnips.

I was SO disappointed. I felt they tasted like "the local baron's sons rode through my crop and all we have left to eat are these".

But/and this recipe inspires me to give the turnips another chance.
*makes a note*

Re: *

[yuuago]

Hah! That's a pretty good description of them, not gonna lie.

I usually don't like turnips much either, but they taste pretty good in this one, with all the tomatoes and spices and whatnot.

[monksandbones]

Ooh, that looks good! Did you use turnips turnips or the ones possibly everyone but my family calls rutabagas?

[yuuago]

I used regular turnips - the ones roughly the size of a large yellow potato.
Rutabagas would probably be great in this too, since they taste similar - you'd probably only need to use one in that case.

[siberian_skys]

This sounds so good. I love turnips. I haven't had one in ages. I'm always intimidated by the idea of cooking them.

[yuuago]

:D I've actually never cooked them before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was really easy!

[siberian_skys]

Thank you. That is good to know. I've been craving them for sometime.

[kass]

I have some very small turnips -- baby turnips, crunchy and white, the kind that are edible raw -- and am pondering making this and only cooking the turnips very briefly.

[yuuago]

It sounds like a worthwhile experiment! You could probably just toss them into the tomatoes along with some water and let them cook in that, without boiling them first.

[ratcreature]

I just made this with kohlrabi instead of turnips and it worked out well, though I didn't pre-cook it, just let simmer a bit in the tomatoes.

[yuuago]

Awesome, glad it worked out for you! :D