Dal Makhani is a rich, creamy dish and one of the most popular Indian dals, and the flavors are complex and the texture is velvety and luxurious which is made using black lentils, lots of butter, and mild spices.
Serve it with any Indian Bread or Jeera rice for an unforgettable meal!
WHAT IS DAL MAKHANI?
Dal translates to “lentils” in Hindi; you may find it spelled daal or dahl. Makhani translates to “buttery”, so this dish literally means “buttery lentils”. It’s a traditional Indian dish made with black lentils, beans, butter and cream.
INGREDIENTS FOR DAL MAKHANI:
- Urad Dal – You will need Whole Black Lentils to make dal makhani.
- Tomato Puree – It adds a nice tang to the cooked dal. Use canned tomato puree instead of using homemade one as it is more concentrated and packed with flavors. You can replace it with half the quantity of tomato paste.
- Butter – You will need 1/2 cup of butter in this recipe. Can use salted or unsalted butter but make sure to adjust the salt as required in the gravy.
- Heavy Cream – Do not compromise on this ingredients because they add to the taste and richness of this dish.
- Other Ingredients – Other than the above, you will need fresh ginger, ginger garlic paste, kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder, kasuri methi, and salt.
HOW TO MAKE DAL MAKHANI?
Wash and rinse urad dal (whole black lentil) in a large bowl. Soak in enough water overnight.
In the morning, drain the water in which the dal was soaked. Transfer the dal to a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water and pressure cook on medium heat for 3-4 whistles.
Let the pressure release naturally. The dal should be completely cooked and you should be able to mash them with your fingers.
To make the masala, in a heavy bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp butter on medium heat. Once the butter melts and is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 to 2 minute until the raw smell goes away.
Add kashiri red chilli powder and cook for 30 sec and then add the tomato puree and mix. Cook for 2 minutes or until the puree mixes well with masala and butter starts oozing out from the sides.
Add in the boiled dal, 2 tbsp of butter and mix. Let it simmer on low heat uncovered for around 35-45 minutes.
Add garam masala, kasuri methi, 1 tbsp of butter and salt. Mix to combine.
Stir often else dal will stick to the bottom of the pot. Add water if you need while simmering.
Also add the remaining 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup cream. Mix well.
Simmer for 10 more minutes on low heat after adding the cream. Dal will become really creamy by now.
Garnish dal makhani with more cream and serve with a pat of butter. Enjoy!
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SERVE THIS DAL MAKHANI?
With rice or Indian flatbread (or a combination of both, if you really love carbs like I do lol). I always serve my dals with Jeera Rice, but you could do brown rice for a nutrition boost. Some of my bread recipe to try with Naan, Wheat Naan
HOW TO STORE THIS DAL?
This dal stays good in fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze them in small portions and it will helps to defrost quickly.
HOW TO MAKE AHEAD OF THIS DAL?
If you are making this ahead of time, just make the dal and freeze as it – don’t add the tadka at the end. Instead, when ready to serve, make the tadka fresh.
To reheat, you can pop it in the microwave, or heat over medium heat on the stove. If it thickens quite a bit, just add a bit of water while heating.
You might also like other vegetarian curries,
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Dal Makhani
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup urad dal whole black lentil
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 3 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 cup tomato puree use store bought tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 tsp garam masala optional
- 1/2 tsp kasuri methi optional
- 1/2 tsp sugar optional
- 1/4 cup cream
Instructions
- Wash and rinse urad dal (whole black lentil) in a large bowl. Soak in enough water overnight.
- In the morning, drain the water in which the dal was soaked. Transfer the dal to a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water and pressure cook on medium heat for 3-4 whistles.
- Let the pressure release naturally. The dal should be completely cooked and you should be able to mash them with your fingers.
- To make the masala, in a heavy bottom pan, heat 2 tbsp butter on medium heat. Once the butter melts and is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 to 2 minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Add kashiri red chilli powder and cook for 30 sec and then add the tomato puree and mix. Cook for 2 minutes or until the puree mixes well with masala and butter starts oozing out from the sides.
- Add in the boiled dal, 2 tbsp of butter and mix. Let it simmer on low heat uncovered for around 35-45 minutes.
- Add garam masala, kasuri methi, 1 tbsp of butter and salt. Mix to combine.
- Stir often else dal will stick to the bottom of the pot. Add water if you need while simmering.
- Also add the remaining 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 cup cream. Mix well.
- Simmer for 10 more minutes on low heat after adding the cream. Dal will become really creamy by now.
- Garnish dal makhani with more cream and serve with a pat of butter. Enjoy!
Notes
- You will get the best flavors of this dal, if you let it simmer for hours on low heat.
- Be generous with using butter and cream- this is not a recipe to cut down on the fat. The butter and cream are essential for that dal makhani flavor that you love.
- Less is more when it comes to using spices in dal makhani. This recipe doesnt need much spices.
- Use store bought tomato puree for that smooth texture- if you are looking for that creamy texture, then do use store bought tomato puree.
- Always soak black dal and rajma for good 8 hours at least. I usually soak it for 10 hours.
- To make it vegan or dairy-free, use coconut milk instead of cream, or use none at all and oil instead of butter.
rich & creamy…definitely gonna try it!