Minty Kidney Beans with Potatoes

This curry packs quite a punch and easily can be the only game in town, especially at your weekday dinner table. For a complete meal, serve it in large individual bowls with either bread or rice on the side. (My preference is a loaf of freshly baked crusty French bread from the bakery. Slice it into 1/2-inch-thick slices, warm them briefly in the oven, and dunk them into the curry to mop up the sauce between spoonfuls of minty-flavored kidney beans and potatoes.)

Makes 4 cups

1 large tomato, cored and coarsely chopped

1 small red onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves

2 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick)

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 to 5 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed

1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long), broken into smaller pieces

2 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 medium-size russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and submerged in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning

3 cups cooked red kidney beans

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 1/2 teaspoons rock salt, pounded

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1. Put the tomato in a blender jar, and add the onion, mint, ginger, peppercorns, turmeric, chiles, and cinnamon pieces. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, to make a smooth pink sauce, dusted with specks of purple, green, and brown.

2. Heat the ghee in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle, turn reddish brown, and smell nutty, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the pureed sauce; within seconds it will start to bubble and spatter. Lower the heat to medium, partially cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the oil is starting to separate around the edges and form a very thin, glossy layer on top, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes and stir them in. Add the kidney beans and 1 cup water, and bring the curry to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. While the curry is simmering, whisk the yogurt and cream together in a small bowl (the fat in the cream will stabilize the yogurt when it heats, keeping it from curdling).

5. Once the potatoes are tender, fold in the yogurt mixture, garam masala, rock salt, and cilantro. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the yogurt is warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

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