Dal Makhani is a rich, creamy & delicious vegetarian recipe made with black grams (Mah Ki Dal / kaali Dal / Urad Dal / lentils), red kidney beans (Rajma), butter and cream. Its a fairly simple recipe where the Dal and Kidney beans are soaked over night and then cooked in pressure cooker. The tomato puree which I have used in this Dal Makhani recipe is home made using 3 medium sized tomatoes. Also, the ghee used in this recipe is home made. I have used Amul cream and Amul butter in this recipe.
Makhani means “buttery”, so for this recipe whole black lentils (urad sabut) is cooked with lot of butter and cream. Along with urad sabut, rajma (kidney beans) are also often added to this dal
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| Creamy Dal Makhani |
It’s a rich dal and hence was made on special occasions only.
Dal Makhani is one of the most popular dals in India and it’s certainly my husbands favorite. It’s there on the menu of every Indian restaurant and in every Indian wedding and parties.
Cook time : 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Black grams/ black lentils / whole Urad Dal
- 3 tbsp Red Kidney beans / Rajma
- 2 Tbsp Ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 medium sized tomato (puree)
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp cream
- Coriander leaves
- Salt as per taste
You can also watch this video on my YouTube channel
How to make Dal Makhani
Step 1- Soak Urad, Rajma Overnight & Pressure Cook The Next Day
To prepare this popular dish, soak sabut urad and rajma overnight in three cups of water. Drain it and pressure cook for 8-10 whistles in 2 cups of water with 1/2 tsp of salt. This makes the rajma and dal soft.
Step 2- Fry tomatoes and masala
In a pan add 2 tbsp ghee/oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, fry for 1 min
To this add 3 medium sized tomato purée, salt, 2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp jeera powder and 1 tsp garam masala powder. Fry until oil starts oozing out of the Bhuna masala.
Step 3- Add dal and Rajma
Once the bhuna masala is ready you can add the pressure cooked Rajma and dal, and bring to boil. If you want your Dal Makhani to be smooth, you can crush the dal and rajma with the back of spatula and then add the dal and Rajma. To this add 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of cream this will make the Dal Makhani rich and smooth. Ads little water if required
Step 4- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice, jeeta rice or butter naan or kulcha/ roti/ chapati.
Notes
- Soaking – Soak the Dal and Rajma for a minimum of 8 to 10 hours or overnight. It helps in cooking the beans and dal faster.
- Wash the Dal and Beans twice or thrice before soaking. If you have forgotten to soak the lentils, soak them in boiling hot water for 2 hours and then pressure cook.
- Freshness – Make sure that the Dals and Beans are fresh and not aged. If they are old, they will take a lot of time cooking.
- Butter & Cream – Do not compromise on Butter and Cream, as this Dal is known for its richness. Be generous with these two ingredients.
Have you tried making Dal Vada at home?
