Ground Chicken With Kidney Beans: Rajma Keema Curry

I totally forgot to cook lunch today, well almost. Monday through Thursday, my life runs on a routine since the 4.5 year old goes to school. Breakfast, lessons, cooking, feeding him his lunch, getting him ready for school - everything goes like a clockwork. Then husband comes home  around 12 noon, drops the kid off at the busstop and we eat lunch together. But today being a Friday (and no school since the kid is in Pre-K), I started lazing after breakfast - Skyped with the parents, long phone call with my best friend and it was only after 11:45 am that I realized I had totally forgotten to cook lunch. This is when quick to make yet scrumptious recipes come to the rescue. I had some ground chicken in the fridge and a can of red kidney beans. I always keep a bunch of canned beans on hand always - I buy organic and make sure to check the sodium content when I buy canned stuff. If your canned beans has too much sodium in it just rinse it off under water.

Ingredients:

• Ground Chicken/Chicken Keema - 1lb (about 450gm)
• Kidney Beans - 15 oz can
• Onions - 1 medium, finely chopped
• Garlic - 2-3 fat cloves, finely chopped
• Tomato - 1 small, chopped
• Green Chili - 2 or 3, slit
• Cilantro - 1/3 cup, finely chopped
• Whole Garam Masala - 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 3 green cardamoms
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder/Paprika - 1 tsp
• Kasuri Methi/ Dried Fenugreek Leaves- 2 tsp, crumbled using the palm of your hand
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp (I used Canola Oil)
• Water - 1/2 Cup

In a pan, heat oil and temper it with the Whole Garam Masala. Add the onions and sugar and cook till the onions turn reddish brown. Add chopped garlic, chopped tomatoes, green chili, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, red chili powder and cooks till the oil separates. Now to the cooked masala stir in the ground chicken. You will know that the chicken is cooked when there is no more pink left. Halfway through add the chopped cilantro and kasuri methi, along with the salt and sugar and cook till the the chicken turns brown. It took me about 20 minutes to make this dish - right in time for lunch! Good thing there were some pita bread to eat the Rajma Keema Curry with. But it tastes even better with paratha! 

Notes:  In case you are not using canned beans, then all you have to do is soak the kidney beans overnight and pressure cook it (2 or 3 whistles) with a little bit of salt.