Dal Makhani Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (200 gram) whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
• 1/4 Cup (50 gram) red kidney beans (rajma)
• 1/4 Cup (50 gram) Bengal gram (chana dal)
• 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• 4 cloves (laung)
• 6 Cup (1.4 litre) water
• 4 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 Cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste ((see recipe))
• 1 Cup finely chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato ketchup
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder ((see recipe))
• 4 tablespoon light cooking cream
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
• 2 green chillies, sliced
• 1 tablespoon light cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine all three lentils in a bowl. Rinse them with water 2 – 3 times or until water runs clear. Soak them in clean water for 5 – 6 hours or overnight.

2. 2

   --- Pressure Cook Dal (lentils): ---

3. 3

   Transfer soaked lentils to a pressure cooker. Add salt, cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, asafoetida, and 4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Pressure Cook lentils over low for 5 – 6 whistles. We want them to break down completely. Allow the steam to release naturally.

4. 4

   Open the lid and gently mash the dal using the back of the spoon or a vegetable masher.

5. 5

   --- Prepare Tadka For Dal: ---

6. 6

   Heat ghee in a kadhai or heavy-duty casserole. Add cumin, and saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Add finely chopped onion and fry till onion turn light golden.

7. 7

   Once the onion is nicely fried, add ginger and garlic paste, chopped tomato, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder. Fry for 5 – 6 minutes over low heat. The oil should start separating from the masala, and the tomatoes break down completely.

8. 8

   Add tomato paste or ketchup and pressure-cooked dal. Stir to combine. At this stage, if you feel the dal is way too thick, get desired consistency by adding the remaining 2 cups of water, as after simmering, it tends to become thicker.

9. 9

   Add cream, Garam Masala powder, kasuri methi, sliced green chillies, julienned ginger, and fresh coriander. Mix nicely. Taste, and if required, add more salt and seasoning.

10. 10

    Now allow the dal to simmer over low heat, stirring at regular intervals for 10 – 15 minutes. This step gives a deep, slow-cooked-like flavour to the dal.

11. 11

    Transfer the Dal Makhani to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and cream (optional). You can use ginger and green chilli slices as well for garnishing. Add a dollop of butter on top before serving.

12. 12

    Serve Dal Makhani warm with Naan.