Dal Makhani Recipe
Rich, creamy, buttery, and smoky, Dal Makhani is a very popular North Indian lentil dish made using black lentils, lots of butter, and mild spices. Serve it with naan or jeera rice for an unforgettable meal!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
To Cook The Lentils
- ½ cup whole black lentils (kali urad)
- 1 tablespoon Bengal gram (chana dal) optional
- ¼ cup red kidney beans (rajma)
- 4 tablespoons ghee divided
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
To Temper The Lentils
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 whole green cardamoms
- 2 whole black cardamoms
- 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 3-4 whole black peppercorns
- 3-4 cloves
- 2-3 whole dry red chilies
- 1 cup grated onions
- 6 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash whole black lentils, Bengal gram, and Red Kidney Beans with water and soak them together or separately in 3-4 cups of water for 8-10 hours or overnight.
Cooking The Lentils In An Instant Pot
- Wash the soaked lentils once again and drain them well.
- Add them to the instant pot along with 2 tablespoon ghee, ginger garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, and 2 teaspoon salt.
- Add 3 cups of water and close the lid.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 25 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 until creamy. Set aside.
Cooking The Lentils In Indian Pressure Cooker
- Wash the soaked lentils once again and drain them well.
- Add them to a pressure cooker along with 2 tablespoon ghee, ginger garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, and 2 teaspoon salt.
- Add 4 cups of water and close the lid.
- Pressure cook for 1 whistle on high heat. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Then open the lid.
- Mash the dal with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until it is creamy. Set aside.
Tempering The Cooked Lentils
- Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a skillet over high heat.
- While the ghee is heating, lightly crush green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle.
- When the ghee is hot, add the crushed whole spices, bay leaves, and dry red chilies to the skillet and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add onions and fry till they are lightly browned (8-10 minutes).
- Add tomato puree to the skillet and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add ginger and garam masala powder and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked and mashed dal to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Add some water if the dal is too thick and bring it to a boil.
- You can discard the dry red chilies and bay leaves at this stage if you wish to.
- Add butter and heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Check for salt.
- Add Kasuri methi and cook for another minute.
- Garnish with heavy cream swirls and chopped cilantro and serve!
Smoke The Lentils (Optional)
- Once the dal is ready, you can serve it right away or give it a Dhungar, that is infusing it with a smoky flavor.
- Heat a piece of coal or a cinnamon stick over direct flame until it is red hot. Keep a bowl in the center of the skillet with the dal and keep the hot coal in the bowl. Drizzle a few teaspoon of oil over the coal and immediately close the lid of the skillet. Let the dal absorb the smoke for 10 minutes. Open the lid, discard the coal and remove the bowl. Heat the dal once again and serve.
Video
Notes
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled or even halved.
Nutrition
Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 480IU | Vitamin C: 4.8mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.4mg
