Dal Makhni Recipe – India’s most loved dal with creamy texture – Dal Makhani. Visiting any Indian Restaurant? Likely you will find Dal Makhani in the menu. This dal can well be called the national dal of India. Sharing my recipe making restaurant style dal makhani. I have been making this for over a decade now and its one of my most loved recipe by readers.
Table of contents
What is Dal Makhani
Dal or Dhal means lentils, and Makhani = Buttery. That’s how it gets its name. It is a lentil which is extremely buttery in texture. Dal makhani is a extremely popular dish originating from the northern part (Punjab) of India. This was indeed a staple dal for in undivided india prior to partition.
The primary ingredients in dal makhani are whole black lentil (urad) and red kidney beans (rajma) . Owing to its rich texture and presence of butter, this dal takes times to digest. Since this has lentils and kidney beans, it has high protein content.
I have been an avid fan of dal makhani since my childhood days. My mum would make this dal rarely though and was a treat to get it on the plate on special occasions. Because most of my guests love this dal, I would normally feature it in my menu every now and then. Good thing is that even my daughter is happy with dal makhani, as she finds it less spicy.
In old days, this dal was cooked by letting the dal simmer on low heat for hours on a wood or coal fire. Now a days in the world of instant pot and electric hobs, that old way of cooking has taken a back seat. What has not taken back seat is the taste and love for this dhal. Feature this dal in your menu along with chana masala and kadai paneer, along with butter naan and pulao rice and your guests will love you more than ever.
Dal Makhani is not Dal Bukhara
Lots of people get confused between dal makhani and dal bukhara. Dal Makhani contains kidney beans, however dal bukhara does not have it. Dal bukhara will be normally cooked over night (unless using a shorter version). Moti Mahal Delux is originator of Dal Makhani, however Dal Bukhara finds its roots in ITC Maurya. Both these dal taste a lot similar, both of these dals have creamy texture.
Method of making Dal Makahni
- First of all soak the whole urad dal and kidney beans in 4 cup of water overnight or 8 hours.
- After that pressure cook them with a pinch of salt for 3-4 whistles so that the dal is soft and mushy.
- Take cloves, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamom and dry roast them in a pan. Once its roasted grind them to make a semi coarse masala powder.
- Now take a kadhai or pan and put it on medium flame. Add 2 tablespoon oil to it. Add cumin seeds, once they crackle, add chopped onion and fry them till they become translucent. Now add ginger garlic paste and sauté till raw smell fades away.
- Now add chopped tomatoes, green chillis to the pan, and cover the lid for 5 minutes.
- Open the lid and add the grounded masala powder, red chilli powder, salt and coriander powder. Now roast this mixture until it leaves oil. Switch off the flame and when cold enough, grind this to a smooth paste.
- Transfer this paste in the pan and add boiled dal to this mixture now with 2-3 cup of water. Mix it properly and now let it cook for 10 minutes on lower flame. After 10 minutes add butter and again let it cook for 15 minute.
- Now add Kasuri methi and cook for 5 minutes more. Your tasty dal makhani is ready to serve.
Pro Tips for best Dal Makhani
- Soak the dal and rajma (kidney beans) for at least 8 hours. Plan ahead when making this dal. Soaking overnight is best.
- Pressure cook the dal. You must ensure that the dal and kidney beans is soft and mushy, else dal won’t taste great.
- Be generous with butter. I understand that it worries calorie cautions readers. Reduce your portion size rather than compromising on the quality of this dal. You can put 2 tablespoon of heavy cream as well in the dal while cooking to give it a smoothly texture.
- Spices play important role, however the role of spices here is not to over shadow the taste of lentil, but augment the taste. Stick to the ingredients suggested in the recipe.
- If you like smokey flavour to the dal, please do so. I add the smoke only when making for guests to get the authentic restaurant feel. When making this only for family, I don’t smoke as my daughter does not like it with smoke. To add smoke, heat a piece of coal, wrap that piece in strong aluminium foil (fully wrapped) and drop that in dal, cover the lid for few minutes (depending on smoke strength you like).
- This dal will taste little better once it has been rested for few hours. The dal will get thick.
- After putting water, cook it on low flame for longer time. The longer the dal cooks, more tastier it would be.
This Dal Makhani Is
- Extremely delicious and a winner any day
- Gluten-free
- Kid friendly, loved by kids too
- Very rich, creamy as well as buttery in texture and taste
- Same as you will find in best Indian restaurant
Dal Makhni Masala
Dal makhni needs its own masala, you can get it from superstore near you or can make it yourself. I have made it using raw ingredients. To make dal makhani masala, take cloves, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamom and dry roast them in a pan. Once it’s roasted grind them to make a semi coarse masala powder.
Storage
Dal makhani can be frozen for future use. When the dal reaches room temperature, pack in an airtight container and freeze it. You can also keep this dal refrigerated for 2 days with no problem.
Serving suggestion
Serve this dal hot, but adding butter on top. Pair it with naan, rice. You can make it a feast by adding other curries like chole, matar mushroom, etc.
Below is the “step by step pictorial Dal Makhani recipe” of how I make it. Hoping you and your guests will love it.
Recipe Card
Dal Makhani
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Black Lentils / Whole Urad Dal
- 1/2 Cup Red Kidney Beans
- 2 Onions Medium Size, Finely Chopped
- 3 Tomatoes Medium Size, Chopped
- 2 Green chillies Finely Chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1/2 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tbsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves / Kasuri Methi
- 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Black Cardamoms
- 3 Green Cardamoms
- 3 Cloves
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- Salt As Per Taste
- 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp Butter Unsalted
- 2 tbsp Oil
Instructions
- First of all soak the whole urad dal and kidney beans in 4 cup of water overnight or 8 hours.
- After that pressure cook them with a pinch of salt for 3-4 whistles so that the dal is soft and mushy.
- Take cloves, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamom and dry roast them in a pan. Once its roasted grind them to make a semi coarse masala powder.
- Now take a kadhai or pan and put it on medium flame. Add 2 tablespoon oil to it. Add cumin seeds, once they crackle, add chopped onion and fry them till they become translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till raw smell fades away.
- Now add chopped tomatoes, green chillis to the pan, and cover the lid for 5 minutes.
- Open the lid and add the grounded masala powder, red chilli powder, salt and coriander powder. Now roast this mixture until it leaves oil.
- Switch off the flame and when cold enough, grind this to a smooth paste.
- Transfer this paste in the pan and add boiled dal to this mixture now with 2-3 cup of water. Mix it properly and now let it cook for 10 minutes on lower flame. After 10 minutes add butter and again let it cook for 15 minute.
- Now add Kasuri methi and cook for 5 minutes more. Your tasty dal makhani is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- You can put 2 tablespoon of heavy cream as well in the dal while cooking to give it a smoothly texture.
- After putting water, cook it on low flame for longer time. The longer the dal cooks, more tastier it would be.
This is my favorite 😋
And my favourite too 🙂
Much me Palani aata yea thanks
Happy to salivate you 🙂