Adapted from: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/dal-makhani-restaurant-style-recipe/

Lentils

• 1 black lentils
• 1/4 cup kidney beans

Soak lentils in beans in boiling water for at least 4 hours. Add 3 cups water and pressure cook for 40 minutes at high pressure.

Dal

• 1 can chopped tomatoes (16oz)
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tsp chopped green chilis (serano or jalapeno)
• 2 tsp ginger / garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 to 3 green cardamon
• 1 black cardamon
• 1 inch cinammon stick
• 1 small indian bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp indian red chili powder
• 2-3 pinches grated nutmeg
• 1/3 heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp crushed kasuri methi
• 3 tbsp butter
• chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation

• cook lentils until soft. Blend 1 cup in blender into paste, set aside
• In a pan, now heat butter. You can use salted butter or unsalted butter.
• Add the whole spices – cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 small to medium tej patta.
• Fry for some seconds till the spices sputter and become aromatic.
• Add finely chopped onions.
• Stir and sauté the onions on a low or medium-low heat often till they become light golden.
• Add the ginger garlic paste. Stir again and sauté for some seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
• Add the chopped green chilies and sauté for a minute.
• Add the prepared tomato puree and mix well.
• Add red chili powder and 2 to 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
• Stir very well and sauté this mixture on a low to medium flame, till you see fat releasing from the sides.
• Then add the cooked urad dal and rajma beans along with the stock. Also add 1 cup water or as required.
• Stir very well and simmer the dal makhani uncovered on a low flame.
• Keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don’t stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Once it has begun to thicken, add salt as required.
• Stir very well and continue to simmer on a low flame. Keep on stirring when the lentils are simmered on low heat.
• When simmering you can add more water if the gravy looks thick or dry. The longer you keep dal makhani to simmer, the better it tastes.
• I kept it for about an overall 25 minutes on a low flame. Do keep on stirring at intervals.
• When the gravy has thickened enough, then add cream. Dal makhani is not too thick or too thin. It has a medium consistency.
• Mix the cream very well. Then switch off the heat.
• Add crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Mix again.
• Cover and set dal makhani aside, if you are proceeding to the dhungar method. Or else you can serve dal makhni straight away.