Sandhya's Kitchen

Food & Photography

Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani
This recipe for Dal Makhani is my absolute favourite any day! It tastes fabulous with Garlic Naan. 

A big Yay for this recipe as this is the third in the series for Dhaba Style Recipes. Dhaba Style Aloo matar and Dhaba Style Dal Fry are hugely popular on the web.

I have been making this Dhaba style Dal Makhni with this recipe for the last 10 Years.. and every-time I make them, it’s absolutely loaded with the same flavour, same colour and same texture!! What also matters is that I stick to T, whenever I make it..

Creamy, slow-cooked Dal Makhani on the hob renders that finger licking curry everyone loves.

So,

WHAT IS DAL MAKHANI?

Dal makhani or dal makhni (pronounced daal makh-nee, “buttery lentils”) is a dish originating from the Indian subcontinent, notably in the Punjab region. The primary ingredients are whole black lentil (urad), red kidney beans (rajma), butter and cream. ( Source – Wikipedia )

DAL MAKHANI INGREDIENTS

There are some basic essentials to making this creamy rich Dal.

Whole Urad Dal – is also commonly known as black gram.  Look out for the whole bean, which has a black skin.

Red Kidney Beans – is also known as Rajma in hindi.

Tomatoes –  I personally prefer to use Vine Tomatoes that are really mature red in colour.  Alternatively you can also use canned tomatoes.  Bear in mind, canned tomatoes are a bit too tangy, so you may want to reduce the proportion accordingly.

Unsalted Butter – As the recipe suggests, Makhani means loaded with butter & cream. So it really not advisable to go skinny on cream to obtain the best Dal Makhani flavours.For Vegan Option, check out my notes below.

Ginger – Garlic Paste – A large amount of the flavour comes from ginger garlic to this dal makhani recipe.

Kasoori Methi –  Also known as dried fenugreek leaves.  Toast them gently on a heated pan and add them to your Dal. The rustic flavours are just amazing.

Spice Powders –  Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder

Whole Spices –  Bay Leaf, Cardamom, Cinnamon Stick and Cloves .

**I do not use Onions as well as Garam masala Powder in this recipe.

Black Urd Dal Dal Makhani
DAL MAKHANI FAQ & TIPS

How to make VEGAN DAL MAKHANI?

Vegan Dal Makhani can be made using the same recipe as below. Wherever the recipe calls for butter, use Vegan Butter or Coconut Oil. Use coconut cream to finish off  the recipe instead of cream.

 You can scoop out  the coconut cream from the top of a separated can of coconut milk. But if the cream is not separated in the coconut milk can, just add the coconut milk.

How different is Dal Makhani to Moong Dal Tadka?

This Dal is thick, creamy and rich in consistency as opposed to comforting Moong Dal Tadka… So just in case you are wondering do we really need so much fat? My answer would be Yes again .. to call it perfect Dal Makhani.

Can I omit Garlic in DAL?

Well, the flavour in this Dal comes from garlic and tomatoes. So the flavours might not be the same as it is supposed to be.

Coming to this recipe, I really wouldn’t want to hold back sharing this gorgeous Dal Recipe that I have learnt from Vah Re Vah. I would highly recommend making this super easy creamy Dal Makhani for treating your family and friends!

Soaking Dal for Dal Makhni – is not essential as we will be pressure cooking the lentils/ urad dal for twice the amount of time.

I do not have Kidney Beans – Can I still make this Dal? Of course, add the same proportion of Black Urad Dal.

This post is super dear to me, as I have grown in food photography too over the last 9 years. There is a picture of one of my first photographs for dal makhani in my blog right below this picture.. It makes me feel so proud of this incredible learning. This post was somehow neglected over these years and it was high time I had updated too.

For a complete meal – make Garlic Naan, Cucumber Raita, Dal Tadka and Cumin Rice.

Dal Makhani
Dal Makhani

HAVE YOU MADE MY DAL MAKHANI RECIPE?

Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen. I would love to see your take on this delicious Dhaba Style Dal.

Dhaba Style Dal Makhani Recipe below

Dal Makhani
Print
Dhaba Style Dal Makhani
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 

Dal Makhani is a creamy Dal made with black urd dal ( black gram ) & kidney beans.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian
Servings: 4 People
Author: Sandhya Hariharan
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 11/2 Cups Black Urad Dal also known as Black gram
  • Handful of Kidney Beans
  • 3/4 kg Vine Tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 Tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
  • 3/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 50 g Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Cup Cream
  • 2 Tsp Kasoori Methi Dried Fenugreek leaves
  • 1 Tsp Sunflower Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Roughly 2 Cups of Water
Whole Garam Masala
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 1" Cinnamon Stick
  • 3 Cardamom Pods ( Alternatively use 1 tsp Cardamom powder)
  • 4 Cloves
Instructions
Preparation :

  1. Grind the tomatoes and obtain a fresh tomato puree .Alternatively, if you have fewer tomatoes in stock, use 2-3 tsp of double concentrated tomato puree.

  2. Soak Kidney Beans for about 6-8 hours and then mix it with Black Urad Dal.

  3. Pressure cook the Black Urad Dal for twice amount of the regular Dal cooking time.

Method:
  1. Heat oil in a large pan and add Cumin Seeds & Whole Garam masala.Saute them for 1 minute.
  2. Add Ginger Garlic Paste & turmeric powder. Saute for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the tomato puree to the masala's mix and stir them once. Cover the pan with a lid and cook in low flame for 10 minutes. (Tomato, puree generally tend to spill out bubbling ).
  4. Stir in red chilli powder , cumin powder , coriander powder and the butter ( coz its makhani) to the tomato puree. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
  5. Now that the quantity is reduced a bit , flavours of the masala's are into the base gravy , add the water from the cooked dal about 1.5- 2 cups and stir them. Allow it to boil for another 5 minutes in low flame.
  6. Add in the cooked Dal to the tomato puree and gently stir every 5 minutes in low flame. Cover and cook for atleast 30-45 minutes. Remember to stir every 5 minutes as the dal can stick to the bottom of the pan.
  7. Once the desired consistency is achieved , add in Fresh cream and stir well. Cook for 5 more minutes and turn of the flame.
  8. Rub pan toasted Kasturi methi in your palm and sprinkle them before serving.
  9. Serve Dhaba Style Dal Makhani with Nan( Indian Flat bread), Roti or Rice.
Recipe Notes

Soaking Urad Dal is not required for this process. Dal Makhani generally tends to thicken after it cools down. So make sure to leave a little watery consistency when we turn of the flame. If water from the cooked Dal is not left over, Add regular tap water. Longer the dal simmers in the tomato gravy, flavors are spendid. If Whole Garam Masala's are not available, use Garam masala powder.

 

You may also like:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. Wow, congrats sandy..This recipe is in my try list for a long time. But i dont buy black urad dal.. have to buy & try. Have bookmarked ur recipe dear and added ur blog in my blogroll.Will follow u from now on:)

    Reply

  7. Hey… I always wanted to try Dal Makhani and have been collecting various recipes of them, got one more on the list 🙂
    Would love to try it out, will let you know when I try !!

    Reply

  30. Sandhya, your page is very well constructed. Neat and great. Dal Makhani looks very pleasing and so are the others in this site. Methi cuts seems too innovative, havent heard of it till now. Great job!
    Thanks for visiting my page.

    Reply

  42. Hi,
    would you be so kind and tell me how to cook the lentils without using pressure cooker, coz I dont have one.Thanks very much!

    Reply

  43. Hi AZA ,

    If you would like to cook without a pressure cooker , I will suggest you to buy split black ural dal. You need to soak in 3 times the water for atleast 1 hour . Let the water be hot. Boil it in a sauce pan until it gets soft . In the meanwhile you can add few kidney beans from the can.. ..

    Hope this helps ….
    Cheers
    Sandhya

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your e-mail address will not be published. Required fields are marked *