KIDNEY BEANS- THE ASIAN WAY WITH A TWIST FOR MEXICAN TACOS
 
Why do I prefer Vegetarian food:

I am an Indian and born in a 'vegetarian' family. At early ages, I would always  question beliefs and customs before agreeing to follow them. When I questioned a learned man about the reasons of being vegetarian, he asked me-" Of all the flesh eaters- animals and humans- why only humans cook the meat- if they can digest it.. shouldn't they be eating it directly- just as a lion does?"
I was listening. He added- The reason humans don't consume directly is because:
 
1. Their bodies are not made to eat meat. 
2. If we look at human intestines as compared to animals- animals have intestinal tract 3 times their body length so that the decaying meat can pass thru the body quickly while humans tract is 10-12 their body length. 
3. Humans do not have such sharp canines to bite the flesh as compared to animals. 

These are my personal views.

On that note.. sharing a recipe for vegetarian oil free Razma (Kidney beans). Its is also vegan as doesn't use any animal product.

Its one of my favorite  as Kidney beans( called Razma in many Asian countries) is high in fiber, potassium, sodium, proteins and has very little fat and no cholesterol. Most importantly, my entire family loves it.

I am sharing a very Asian recipe eaten mainly with rice. A variation can be used as filling in Tacos. In fact, when I cook these kidney beans, my kids eat with rice while my husband prefers it as filling in tacos.

This recipe is tomato based.We need pressure cooker to cook it. Soak 1 cup of beans overnight. (1 cup of beans serves 4). For the tomato gravy- take 2 large tomatoes, add a tsp of cumin seeds, one inch of ginger ,one green chilli(optional) and grind into a smooth paste using a grinding  mixer. 

In the pressure cooker- pour the tomato mix, a pinch of turmeric, 1 tbs of coriander powder, 1 tsp of salt, 2 bay leafs, one inch of cinnamon stick, 1 tbs of chopped coriander. I sometimes add a pinch of black pepper if I didn't use green chilli earlier. Wash out the soaked beans with fresh water and pour into the cooker. Mix well using a large spoon. Add about 3-4 cups of water. Cook in high flame for 25 min. Once the cooker opens, check if some beans are broken which is a sign of nicely cooked. Serve hot with steamed rice. 

As you can see, oil was not used for cooking. Feel free to use oil if required.

For using these beans as tacos' filling, dry the water of the curry and use with freshly chopped lettuce , peppers and some more tomatoes if you like. 

I definitely use these beans at least once a week.  

Pl post some comments.. It will provide me with the necessary boost to keep writing. :)