Rajma is a proper meal rather than a side. Kidney beans simmered in a spiced tomato and onion gravy until the sauce thickens and the beans start to break at the edges, served over rice.

The light red variety cooks a little softer than the dark, which some people prefer for exactly that reason.

Soak overnight without exception, then boil hard for at least ten minutes before simmering. Rajma chawal is one of the great Sunday lunches of northern India and it is better reheated the next day.

In the pantry aisle at Curry Corner in North Melbourne.