The Bean Story

SAVOUR THE FLAVOUR OF A NEW RAJMA BEAN

          Variety is the spice of life and what better way to add variety to everyday meals than by using different beans and lentils. Lentils – aah! we have eaten so many of them in our daily meals. Namely arhar, various types of moong, urad, masoor, chana, lobia and rajma. Each state of India caters to a particular flavour, and there are also variations from region to region. North Indian cuisine uses the “rajma” or the ‘red kidney bean’ as an important part of the daily meal. So why not try a different variety of the rajma bean to spruce up the taste buds a bit?!

Did you know that the rajma bean is sometimes referred to as a wonder food because it is high in protein, complex carbohydrates and soluble dietary fibre which reduces blood cholesterol levels? To add to that, it is low fat and absorbs the flavour of spices and herbs from the food in which it is cooked, making it tastier than other beans. However, the rajma bean, which is an integral part of North Indian food, is not native to India. Its origin lies in Central Mexico and Guatemala. The Spaniards and Portuguese brought the beans to Europe. Since it was a valuable source of protein for the sailors, it was eventually brought in ships to Africa and then Asia. Rajma is called kidney bean, not only because of its shape but because the Native Americans used to treat a variety of kidney and bladder problems with it.

          Uttaranchal, “devbhoomi” or land of the gods as it is called, is endowed with a different and tasty variety of the rajma bean. It seems as though God has blessed this place with fertile land along with its enchanting beauty! These rajma beans are grown primarily in the higher reaches of the state like the mountainous Garhwal and Kumaon regions. As in these places the temperatures are very low, the sowing season begins in May, during the summer months. It takes six months for the beans to form inside the pods and be ready for plucking. They are then harvested from October to December. The beans are primarily sold during the winter months and are available between Rs 35/-  to Rs 40/- per kg, depending upon the demand and season. Initially, the rate is high, since there is sufficient demand for the beans which later peters out with time. It is also interesting to note that once the farmer’s job of plucking the beans is finished, he leaves his village and resides in the plains for the next six months due to weather conditions. In effect his earnings for six months have to last him for the entire year!

The beans found in Garhwal are small, dark red in colour, with white stripes on them. Whereas, the beans from Kumaon are skin coloured, with dark red stripes on them. When soaked in water overnight, they turn pale brown in colour. These beans also take half the amount of time to cook under pressure as compared to the rajma beans found elsewhere. To top it all, they taste heavenly too! Make a normal rajma curry or even add them to your veg and non-veg stews on those cold winter nights for an extra special flavour! They taste like imported “butter beans” which are available in supermarkets across all metros these days. So why not try the indigenous variety at a lesser price?! I hope in future a proper impetus is given to agri-products such as these beans from remote areas to make them easily available throughout our vast country.