Who doesn’t like a nice, steaming bowl of dal makhani? It is one of the most popular dal recipes of north India and so for a reason. Rich, creamy and utterly delicious, there is no reason to not make this dal makhani recipe at home.
This dal makhani is a regular at my house. While the traditional and authentic dal makhani (or dal Bukhara) recipe requires slow cooking for hours and an addition of a lot of heavy elements to it, this version is NOT that. This rendition is lighter, very simple and involves just 30 minutes of simmering.
Dal makhani literally translates to dal being cooked in makkhan or butter. Again, this recipe is very light on butter and cream. It is not as heavy as a restaurant version, but what I can say with all my confidence is that it is DELICIOUS! I get messages from so many of you asking for tasty and easy recipes. Well, there you go! Make dal makhani without getting intimidated by it and make it like a pro!
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cook time – 40 minutes
Serves – 4 people
Ingredients
- 200 g black lentils
- 50 g red kidney beans
- 500 ml of water
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 large tomatoes, pureed in a blender
- 2 tbsp ghee
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 3 tbsp fresh cream
- 50 g butter
- A handful of Kasuri methi
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Thoroughly wash the black lentils and red kidney beans. Soak it overnight in water.
- Drain the lentils and keep aside the next morning.
- In a pressure cooker, put the black lentils and kidney beans. Add one tablespoon salt and water. Mix well. Let this cook for six to seven whistles. Set aside.
- Heat ghee in a kadhai. Add the chopped onions. Saute till onions become translucent and start browning.
- Once the onions are cooked, add the fresh ginger-garlic paste. Stir till the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic disappears.
- Add the tomato puree and cook for about ten to fifteen minutes. The water from the puree needs to dry up completely and stir till oil starts to release from the paste.
- Do not let this burn, cook in medium flame. Add warm water whenever necessary to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the kadhai.
- Season with turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Mix well.
- Pour in the pressure-cooked dal into this gravy and mix till it all comes together. Check salt and add if required.
- Bring the dal to a boil and once it gets thick, add the cream and mix well.
- Add the butter after the cream and mix well.
- Next, add a handful of dried fenugreek leaves or Kasuri methi and give the dal one last stir before you let it simmer.
- Cover and let the dal simmer in low heat for another 30 minutes.
- Remove lid and season the dal with garam masala.
- Pat a spoonful of ghee on top and enjoy hot with parathas or plain rice.
I hope you do try this simple and mouth-watering dal makhani for yourself. You have to ensure that the lentils are soaked in water for at least six hours. And the simmering, in the end, is also required to get a thick and delicious consistency. A little bit of patience and you can have a wonderfully thick gravy in about an hour.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to me with a comment or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook.
Happy cooking!
