Back when I followed a Standard American Diet (SAD), one of my favourite curries was Rajma. This spicy, fragrant vegetarian dish traditionally features kidney beans as the main ingredient. However, since beans are not allowed on the Paleo diet, I wanted to recreate the delicious, heady flavours of Rajma in a healthier, bean-free way. Consequently, this led to the creation of my Spicy Beef and Aubergine Rajma, which perfectly captures the essence of the original dish without the beans.
After perfecting the spice blend, I chose beef as the protein for this dish, as it adds a richer flavour compared to the kidney beans. Additionally, I included aubergine to mimic the texture of beans. I believe I have finally nailed the beanless Rajma – but I'll let you be the judge of that!
Recipe: Spicy Beef and Aubergine Rajma
Equipment
- Large cooking pot
- Pestle & Mortar
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp Ghee / coconut oil
- 2 Onions finely chopped
- 6 Garlic cloves peeled
- 5cm piece Ginger peeled
- 4 Red chilli peppers deseeded and chopped
- 2 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- pinch Salt
- 1 400g can Chopped tomatoes
- 500g Beef diced
- 2 medium Aubergines diced
- handful Fresh coriander chopped
Instructions
- In a large cooking pot, lightly toast the coriander and cumin seeds for about 2 minutes. Grind them into a powder, then set aside.
- Next, raise the heat of the pot to medium and add the ghee or coconut oil. Fry the onions for around 5 minutes until they soften.
- Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic cloves with the ginger and chilli, forming a paste. Add a touch of olive oil if needed.
- Add the garlic-ginger-chilli paste to the onions and sauté for a couple more minutes. Then, add the toasted cumin and coriander, along with the garam masala, turmeric, and salt. After a minute, pour in the chopped tomatoes and around 200ml of hot water. Stir well.
- Add the diced beef to the pot, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover, stir the mixture, then add the diced aubergine. Return the lid to the pot and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Finally, garnish the dish with fresh chopped coriander before serving.
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By creating this dish, you can enjoy a rich and satisfying meal that aligns with your Paleo lifestyle. Moreover, the combination of beef and aubergine provides a delightful texture and flavour that closely mimics the traditional Rajma, without the use of beans. This dish is ideal for those looking to maintain a grain-free and dairy-free diet while still indulging in hearty and aromatic Indian cuisine.
Try this recipe out and share your experience with us. We always love to hear how our readers are enjoying our recipes and any tweaks you might have made to suit your personal tastes. Furthermore, stay tuned for more Paleo-friendly twists on classic dishes and more culinary inspirations!
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Much easier than I expected – we really enjoyed this