Dal Makhni

Dal Makhni or Dal Makhani is one of the all-time favourite dishes of my family, whenever we are at a North Indian joint. So I have tasted many versions of it and used to make this recipe at one point in time with cream, as most recipes suggest. I found the dal to be heavy when made this way and then I chanced upon the recipe for Dal Makhni that I'm blogging now on a spice packet, I tried it and it tasted almost like the restaurant ones, so have been following this recipe for a long time now. 

Dal Makhni is a dish from Punjab and the main ingredients are black lentils( Black Urad dal whole) Rajma, butter and other spices and condiments. It gets the creamy texture and taste from butter and slow cooking. The longer you cook it on low fire, the tastier. That said, this dal can be made without butter/ cream too. And it tastes all the same. 

While you are here please checkout my other recipes like Choley, Pakode wali Dal, 

Hari Moong Dal, Rajma and more...

Here is the recipe of Dal Makhni for you--

PREP TIME: 10Mins+soak time(8hrs)         COOK TIME: 1 hour

TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 10 Mins                         COURSE:  MAIN 

CUISINE: NORTH INDIAN                         SERVINGS: 4

                                                                        AUTHOR: Rajni Ram

Ingredients:

Black Whole Urad 200 gm ( black lentils) Soaked overnight

Rajma 1 handful (soaked overnight)

Chana dal 1 tbsp.

Garlic 8 pods (finely chopped)

ginger 1-inch piece chopped

Butter 2 tbsp

Tomato 3 medium pureed

Salt as per taste

Red chilli powder 1 tsp( more if you like it spicy)

Dal makhani masala 1.5 tbsp

Kasoori Methi 1 tsp crushed

Directions: Soak the Black Urad, Rajma and Chana dal overnight. Once soaked put them in a pressure cooker with 2 pods of garlic and the ginger and cook for 6 to 8 whistles. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan and heat. Put in the Cinnamon stick and garlic and fry don't brown them. Add in the Kasoori Methi and fry for half a minute. Now add the tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the Dal Makhni masala, Red chilli powder, salt and cook until the butter floats. Lightly mash the cooked dals and add them to the tomato mixture. Stir nicely and add 2 cups water and reduce the heat and cook on low fire for about 25 to 30 minutes. Switch off the stove and add another tablespoon of butter and garnish with finely chopped coriander. Creamy Dal Makhni is ready to serve. This Dal goes really well with Parathas, Roti, Jeera rice and other Indian bread. Enjoy and Bon Appetit.

STEPWISE RECIPE FOLLOWS:

1. Assemble all ingredients. Soak the dals overnight.

2. Cook the soaked dal in a pressure cooker along with some garlic and the ginger and a piece of cinnamon stick for 8 to 10 whistles.

3. Take some butter in a pan and heat. Put in the Cinnamon stick and garlic and fry for 1/2 a minute. The garlic must not turn brown. Add in the crushed Kasoori Methi and fry for a minute.

4. Now add in the pureed tomatoes followed by salt, red chilli powder and Dal Makhani masala and cook. Cook until the butter floats/ forms a layer on top.

5. Now add the cooked dal, stir nicely and add 2 cups of water and cook on low fire for 25 to 30 minutes.

6. After 30 mins put off the stove and add a tablespoon( or more)of butter to the dal and garnish with chopped coriander.

NOTES:

1. The Chana dal gives the creaminess to this dish, so don't do away with it, at the same time don't put too much of it or the taste may vary.

2. If you don't have Dal Makhni Masala, use a small quantity of garam masala. For the measures that are given above 2 tsp garam masala should be sufficient.

3. Adding Kashmiri red chilli powder will give the dish a good colour. I have added a mix of both regular red chilli powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder, so that spice and colour are balanced. 

If you tried this recipe and liked it please comment below. I would love to hear from you.