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    Whisk Affair » Recipes » Dal & Curries » Dal » Restaurant Style Dal Maharani

    Published: Sep 1, 2022 | Last Updated On: Feb 8, 2023 by Neha Mathur | This post may contain affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Restaurant Style Dal Maharani

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    Creamy, rich, and luscious, this Restaurant Style Dal Maharani is a version of the popular Indian lentil curry Dal Makhani. Make it using my easy recipe from scratch at home (vegetarian).

    Dal is something that is made in every Indian household. Here are a few dal recipes that I personally like a lot – Green Moong Dal, Malwa Dal, Dal Makhani, Shahi Dal, Restaurant Style Yellow Dal Tadka, and Cholar Dal.

    Dal Maharani served in a bowl.
    Jump to:
    • About Dal Maharani
    • Ingredients
    • How To Make Restaurant-Style Dal Maharani
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Storage Suggestions
    • You Might Also Like
    • Recipe Card

    About Dal Maharani

    Dal Maharani is a creamy and luscious North Indian lentil curry prepared with whole urad, rajma, and chana dal as its base.

    It is very similar to Dal Makhani, but has its own unique taste and flavor. Dal Makhani is a richer preparation made with lots of butter added to it while the quantity of butter, ghee, and cream is slightly less in Dal Maharani.

    Dal Maharani is also spicier than its cousin Dal Makhani which is very mildly spiced. Dal Makhani has a mildly sweet taste while the taste of Dal maharani is on the robust side.

    This creamy lentil curry is perfect to serve for festivals or special occasions.

    Serve it with jeera rice or Indian bread such as naan, missi roti, or tandoori roti.

    You can cook this restaurant-style dal maharani recipe in a traditional pressure cooker or in an instant pot.

    Ingredients

    You will get all the ingredients to make Dal Maharani at any Indian grocery store.

    For The Dal

    Dal maharani ingredients 1
    Dal maharani ingredients 2

    To make the lentils, you will need whole urad (whole black gram lentils), chitra rajma (red kidney beans), chana dal (Bengal gram lentils), ghee, Kashmiri red chili powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, bay leaves, toasted Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), garam masala powder, butter, unsweetened heavy cream, and fresh ginger.

    In case you don’t have chitra variety of rajma, use the regular rajma (kidney beans).

    You can skip adding cream if making it for everyday meals.

    To make this maharani dal recipe spicier, you can add a few whole spices like black cardamom (badi elaichi), green cardamom (hari elaichi), cloves (laung), cinnamon stick (dalchini), cumin seeds, etc while cooking the lentils.

    For The First Tempering

    Dal maharani first tempering ingredients

    You will need ghee, onions, Kashmiri red chili powder, and canned tomato puree.

    If tomato puree is not available, then you can use tomato paste in its place.

    For The Second Tempering

    Dal maharani second tempering ingredients.

    This is optional but gives a great flavor to Dal Maharani. You will need butter, garlic, and Kashmiri red chili powder for this tadka.

    How To Make Restaurant-Style Dal Maharani

    Soak The Lentils

    Wash ½ cup whole urad (whole black lentils), ¼ cup chitra rajma (red kidney beans), and ¼ cup chana dal (Bengal gram lentils) with water.

    Soak them together or separately in 3-4 cups of water for 8-10 hours or overnight.

    Soaked lentils.

    Cook The Lentils

    In A Pressure Cooker

    Wash the soaked lentils once again and drain them well.

    Add them to a pressure cooker along with

    • 2 tablespoon ghee
    • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 whole bay leaves.
    Soaked lentils, ghee, chili powder, ginger garlic paste and bay leaves added to a cooker.

    Add 3 cups of water and stir well. Close the lid of the cooker.

    Water added to the cooker.

    Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.

    Lid of the cooker closed.

    Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.

    Open the lid and mash the lentils with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until creamy. 

    Cooked lentils.
    Mashed lentils.

    Heat the dal on medium heat until it starts to bubble.

    Add

    • 1 tablespoon of crushed Kasuri methi
    • ½ teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 tablespoon unsweetened heavy cream
    • 2 teaspoon of ginger juliennes

    and mix well.

    Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

    Add some more water if the dal is too thick.

    Check for salt and add more if needed.

    Kasuri methi, garam masala, butter, cream and ginger added to the dal.
    Ready lentils.

    In An Instant Pot

    Wash the soaked lentils once again and drain them well.

    Add them to an instant pot along with 2 tablespoon ghee, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 whole bay leaves.

    Add 2.5 cups of water and stir well. Close the lid of the pot.

    Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 20 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. The instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and the timer to start. 

    Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. 

    Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the vent to the venting position. Use a spoon to move the vent to prevent steam burn off the fingers.

    Open the lid and mash the dal with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until creamy. 

    Press SAUTE and heat until the lentils start to bubble.

    Add 1 tablespoon of crushed Kasuri methi, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoon heavy cream, and 2 teaspoon of ginger juliennes, and mix well.

    Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.

    Add some more water if the dal is too thick.

    Check for salt and add more if needed.

    Temper The Lentils

    Heat 3 tablespoon ghee in a pan over medium heat.

    Once the ghee is hot, add ¼ cup of chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown, stirring frequently.

    Onions added to hot ghee in a pan.

    Add 7 oz (200 g) of canned tomato puree and 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking.

    Tomato puree and chilli powder added to the pan.

    Pour the tempering over the cooked dal and mix well.

    Tempering poured over the dal.
    Mixed well.

    Do The Second Tempering

    Transfer Dal Maharani to the serving bowl.

    Heat 1 tablespoon butter (or ghee) in a small pan.

    Once the butter is melted, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and fry until it turns light brown in color.

    Garlic added to hot ghee in a small pan.

    Switch off the heat and add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder and stir gently.

    Red chili powder added to the pan.
    Chilli powder mixed with ghee

    Immediately pour the tempering over the dal. Serve!

    Tempering poured over the dal.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How to give a smoky flavor to Dal Maharani?

    You can give a restaurant-style smoky flavor to home-cooked dal too. The method of smoking the food is called Dhungar method. Heat a small piece of charcoal over high heat on a direct flame until it is red hot. Now keep a bowl over the cooked dal and keep the hot piece of charcoal in the bowl. Pour a teaspoon of ghee over the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pot. Rest for 10 minutes. Discard the charcoal and give your smoked lentils a nice stir. Serve!

    Serving Suggestions

    Daal Maharani tastes great with jeera rice, steamed rice, or Indian bread such as naan, garlic naan, phulka, lachha paratha, missi roti, or tandoori roti.

    Storage Suggestions

    Dal Maharani can be stored in a clean and dry air-tight container in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. Reheat in a microwave-safe bowl or pan, until nice and hot.

    In case it becomes a little thick after refrigeration, add a little hot water to adjust the consistency.

    It is freezer friendly too. Do not add cream to the recipe and freeze the dal for up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers. Thaw at the counter for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Add cream once the dal is nicely hot and serve.

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    Recipe Card

    Loved this recipe?Click here to leave a review and give us a five star rating ★★★★★
    Creamy, rich, and luscious, this Restaurant Style Dal Maharani is a version of the popular Indian lentil curry Dal Makhani. Make it using my easy recipe from scratch at home.

    Restaurant Style Dal Maharani Recipe

    Creamy, rich, and luscious, this Restaurant Style Dal Maharani is a version of the popular Indian lentil curry Dal Makhani. Make it using my easy recipe from scratch at home.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 400kcal
    Author: Neha Mathur

    Ingredients 

    To Cook The Lentils

    • ½ cup whole urad (whole black lentils)
    • ¼ cup chitra rajma
    • ¼ cup chana dal (Bengal gram lentils)
    • 2 tablespoons ghee
    • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
    • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
    • 2 whole bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon crushed Kasuri methi
    • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 tablespoons unsweetened heavy cream
    • 2 teaspoons ginger juliennes

    For The First Tempering

    • 3 tablespoons ghee
    • ¼ cup chopped onions
    • 7 ounce canned tomato puree (200 g, or 100 g tomato paste)
    • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

    For The Second Tempering (optional)

    • 1 tablespoon butter ( or ghee)
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
    • ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
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    Instructions

    Soak The Lentils

    • Wash whole urad, rajma, and chana dal with water.
    • Soak them together or separately in 3-4 cups of water for 8-10 hours or overnight.

    Cook The Lentils

      In A Pressure Cooker

      • Wash the soaked lentils once again and drain them well.
      • Add them to a pressure cooker along with ghee, chili powder, ginger garlic paste, salt, and bay leaves.
      • Add 3 cups of water and stir well. Close the lid of the cooker.
      • Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
      • Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
      • Open the lid and mash the dal with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until creamy. 
      • Heat the lentils on medium heat until it starts to bubble.
      • Add Kasuri methi, garam masala, butter, heavy cream, and ginger juliennes and mix well.
      • Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
      • Add some more water if the dal is too thick.
      • Check for salt and add more if needed.

      In An Instant Pot

      • Wash the soaked lentils once again and drain them well.
      • Add them to an instant pot along with ghee, chili powder, ginger garlic paste, salt, and bay leaves.
      • Add 2.5 cups of water and stir well. Close the lid of the pot.
      • Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 20 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. The instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and the timer to start. 
      • Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. 
      • Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the vent to the venting position. Use a spoon to move the vent to prevent steam burn off the fingers.
      • Open the lid and mash the dal with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until creamy. 
      • Press SAUTE and heat the dal until it starts to bubble.
      • Add Kasuri methi, garam masala, butter, heavy cream, and ginger juliennes, and mix well.
      • Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
      • Add some more water if the dal is too thick.
      • Check for salt and add more if needed.

      Temper The Lentils

      • Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat.
      • Once the ghee is hot, add onions and fry until they turn golden brown, stirring frequently.
      • Add tomato puree and chili powder and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking.
      • Pour the tempering over Dal Maharani and mix well.

      Do The Second Tempering

      • Transfer the dal to the serving bowl.
      • Heat butter in a small pan.
      • Once the butter is melted, add garlic and fry until it turns light brown in color.
      • Switch off the heat and add chili powder and stir gently.
      • Immediately pour the tempering over the dal. Serve!

      Video

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kk2qpIt4nE

      Notes

      In case you don’t have chitra variety of rajma, use the regular rajma (kidney beans).
      You can skip adding cream if making it for everyday meals.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 914IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg
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      More Dal Recipes

      • Dal is a staple in most Indian households and this North Indian Home Style Toor Dal (Arhar Dal) along with steamed rice is my ultimate comfort food. Make it in a traditional pressure or an instant pot (vegetarian, can be easily made vegan and gluten-free).
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      • This Homestyle Green Moong Dal (Chilka Mung Dal) is a simple everyday lentil recipe where green moong lentil is cooked and tempered with a garlic tadka (vegetarian, can be easily made gluten-free).
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