First, rinse the kidney beans and soak them in water for 7-8 hours. Once the beans have expanded, peel the onions, garlic, and ginger. Wash these along with the tomatoes. Slice half an onion thinly and set aside. Chop the other half and add it to a blender jar with the ginger and garlic to make a paste. Heat a pressure cooker and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat and add cumin seeds, bay leaf (broken in two), and dried red chilies. When they start to crackle, add a pinch of asafoetida (hing) and the sliced onion. Once the onion turns golden, add the onion paste and sauté.

Cook on low heat. Rinse the blender jar and blend the tomatoes into a paste. When the onion paste starts to release oil or stick to the pan, add salt, turmeric, chili powder, and coriander powder. Sauté for a minute, then add the tomato paste. Adjust the heat as needed and cook until the tomato juice evaporates. Add the soaked kidney beans (drained and rinsed).

Sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add water and garam masala. Add extra water to keep the gravy. Close the pressure cooker lid. Cook on high heat until the first whistle, then reduce the heat. After 12-13 minutes, turn off the heat.

Once the cooker cools, open the lid and mix in chopped cilantro. For the jeera rice, rinse the rice thoroughly. Place it in a large strainer and cover with a mesh or tilt a plate on the kitchen counter to drain the water. Cover with a mesh on top.

When the rice is dry, heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Lower the heat and add cumin seeds. When they start to crackle, add the rice and sauté for a short time. Add two bowls (about 3 cups or 700 ml) of water, salt, and turmeric. Close the lid and cook on high heat until the first whistle. Once the cooker cools, open the lid and add ground cumin (untoasted), mixing gently with a spatula. You can also add chopped cilantro at this stage. Close the lid again.