Our Recipes
Indian Dinner

Dal Makhani

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

Ingredients

Lentils

  • 1 black lentils
  • 1/4 cup kidney beans

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

Instructions

Lentils

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

Dal

  1. cook lentils until soft. Blend 1 cup in blender into paste, set aside
  2. In a pan, now heat butter. You can use salted butter or unsalted butter.
  3. Add the whole spices – cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 small to medium tej patta.
  4. Fry for some seconds till the spices sputter and become aromatic.
  5. Add finely chopped onions.
  6. Stir and sauté the onions on a low or medium-low heat often till they become light golden.
  7. Add the ginger garlic paste. Stir again and sauté for some seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
  8. Add the chopped green chilies and sauté for a minute.
  9. Add the prepared tomato puree and mix well.
  10. Add red chili powder and 2 to 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
  11. Stir very well and sauté this mixture on a low to medium flame, till you see fat releasing from the sides.
  12. Then add the cooked urad dal and rajma beans along with the stock. Also add 1 cup water or as required.
  13. Stir very well and simmer the dal makhani uncovered on a low flame.
  14. Keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don’t stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  15. Once it has begun to thicken, add salt as required.
  16. Stir very well and continue to simmer on a low flame. Keep on stirring when the lentils are simmered on low heat.
  17. 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.
  18. I kept it for about an overall 25 minutes on a low flame. Do keep on stirring at intervals.
  19. When the gravy has thickened enough, then add cream. Dal makhani is not too thick or too thin. It has a medium consistency.
  20. Mix the cream very well. Then switch off the heat.
  21. Add crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Mix again.
  22. Cover and set dal makhani aside, if you are proceeding to the dhungar method. Or else you can serve dal makhni straight away.