Tingalaore randai (Navy beans sabzi)

Wow!! It took me over three months to write my next entry in this cooking blog! Instead of giving some lame excuse as to why I was not active, I shall get down to the recipe. Hopefully, the readers will like it. :)
I am not sure how common tingalaore (Navy beans) randai (sabzi) is among konkanis, but tingalaore ghashi (sabzi made in thick coconut curry..slurp!) is surely popular! I think we like any kind of ghashi; with rice it makes a perfect meal! This recipe is quite similar to the baked beans from the 'baked beans on toast' breakfast item and that is why this recipe is dedicated to my dear friend Varun, who is a great cook and a food enthusiast! I have tried his version of 'baked beans on toast' and they were absolutely delicious!  I am yet to make them myself!

Total cooking time: About 30 mins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of navy beans (soaked overnight)
1 medium onion (cubes)
2 medium tomatoes (cubes)
1 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 tsp cooking oil
1 to 2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp MTR garam masala powder
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method
First pressure cook the soaked beans. They should be soft and cooked well. You can even mash it a bit, this will make the beans cook well with the onion-tomato puree (described below) and help in thickening the gravy.
Heat oil in a kadai and add the chopped onions. Once they are a bit translucent, add the chopped tomatoes as well and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes lose their water and are mashed. Let this mixture cool a bit and then grind it in a food processor.
In the same kadai, heat this onion-tomato puree in oil for about 5 minutes and then add the turmeric, chilli powder and cook for another few minutes. Now add the cooked navy beans, water and salt to taste. You can add the same water in which you cooked the beans to the mixture. Close the kadai and let it cook for about 10 mins on a low flame, while constantly stirring. You can add more chilli powder if you want it to be spicy. Once navy beans and tomato puree have cooked nicely, mix the garam masala powder as well. Turn off the stove and garnish with the coriander leaves.

Your navy beans sazi is ready! Quick notes: You can use canned navy beans that are already cooked to save loads of time. Just make sure to wash the beans well in running water before using them. You can also substitute the onion-tomato puree with some finely chopped onions and a few tbspns of ready made tomato paste/sauce. But the onion-tomato puree surely adds some additional taste to it. Enjoy the dish with rice, bread or rotis!