Dal Maharani is a new kind of dal which I discovered recently. The smooth creamy texture of this dal aka dahl or dhal is absolutely mouthwatering. Having grown up in an Indian household, dal is something which features in almost daily meals. This post shall help those who looking for dal maharani recipe. Lots of people get confused between dal maharani and dal makhni, these are totally different dals.
Jump To
What is Dal Maharani
Dal = Lentil and Maharani = Queen. Without any shadow of doubt, this dal is queen of all Dals. This dal is made by mixing toor and split black lentils. Soak both of these dals and then boil them. Now, cook this in spices like asafoetida, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, along with ginger garlic and onion paste. Finally cream is also added for creamy texture.
I was in India during last winter and was staying in an AirBnB. There in one of the menu card, I found Dal Maharani. I thought its Dal Makhni and that they got name wrong in menu card. However, to our surprise it came out different and was scrumptious. I decided to give it a go. I loved it so much that I decided to learn the details of this Dal. Ever since then, I have made it a few times and is one of my favourite dal now.
Dal Maharani vs Dal Makhni
People often get confused between Dal Makhni and Dal Maharani. These two dals have some level of similarity though are very different. Dal Makhni has Kidney beans and whole urad dal, Dal maharani on other hand has toor and split urad dal. Spices used in making also differ a little, e.g. cloves and kasuri methi is not used in Dal Maharani. Both Dals are creamy, but Dal makhni is laced with butter. It takes less time to make dal maharani as against to dhal makhni.
Method – Dal Maharani Recipe
- Wash and soak both, toor and split black lentils, in enough water for 30 minutes. After that, pressure cook them with 1/2 teaspoon salt, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water. Once you get 2 whistles from cooker, switch off the heat and let the pressure release.
- Heat oil in a pan/ kadai over medium heat and add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it. Once they crackle, add bay leaves, crushed cardamom and cinnamon stick and sauté.
- Add ground onion paste and sauté till it changes its colour. Now add ginger-garlic paste now and sauté till raw smell goes away. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, and garam masala to it and sauté.
- Now add boiled lentils and 1 cup of boiling water and mix well. Add cream and let it boil for few minutes. Add rest 1/2 teaspoon salt and lemon juice to it and sauté. Finally add desi ghee and switch off the heat. Mix well and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or bread of your choice.
Pro Tips
- Do not over boil the lentils, else it will become mushy.
- For best taste, use clarified butter / desi ghee to cook this dahl.
- Make sure that onion is ground to smooth paste.
- If you wish to freeze this dal, you can freeze boiled dal as well as fully made dal.
- Giving a tempering in desi ghee to the dal, will enhance the taste multi-fold.
This Maharani Dal Is
- One of the best dal to try
- A nice creamy dal with minimal spice, making it kid friendly
- Can be made vegan by using vegan cream
- Tastes exceptionally great
- Relatively less known and you can make it to impress your guests
Serving Suggestion
Serve this hot Dhal after giving a ghee tempering with plain steam rice or Indian bread like chapatti or naan.
Dal Lover?
If you love dal or lentils, you may like to try some of the dals like
Recipe Card
Dal Maharani Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Yellow Split Pigeon peas / Arhar/ Toor Dal
- 1/2 Cup Split Black lentils With Skin
- 1 Onion Large – Make the paste of it
- 2 Bayleaves
- 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
- 2 Green Cardamom Crushed
- 1/3 Tsp Asafoetida
- 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1/3 Tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 1/2 Cup Cream
- 1 Tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 1 Tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter
- 10 Grams Fresh Coriander Leaves For garnishing
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
Instructions
- Wash and soak both, toor and split black lentils, in enough water for 30 minutes. After that, pressure cook them with 1/2 teaspoon salt, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water. Once you get 2 whistles from cooker, switch off the heat and let the pressure release.
- Heat oil in a pan/ kadai over medium heat and add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it. Once they crackle, add bay leaves, crushed cardamom and cinnamon stick and sauté.
- Add ground onion paste and sauté till it changes its colour. Add ginger-garlic paste now and sauté till raw smell goes away. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, and garam masala to it and sauté.
- Add boiled lentils and 1 cup of boiling water and mix well. Add cream and let it boil for few minutes. Add rest 1/2 teaspoon salt and lemon juice to it and sauté. Add desi ghee and switch off the heat. Mix well and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or bread of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Don’t over boil the lentils. We want them to be cooked and soft, not mushy.
- You can use Desi ghee/clarified butter instead using oil too.