Dhal Makhani
Dhal Makhani
A truly old-school dish, dhal makhani is made with black lentils and kidney beans cooked slowly with delicate spices. The earthy and wholesome lentils are a perfect pairing for the rich and buttery gravy. Recipe courtesy of Hari Ghotra
Prep Time
10
minutes
Cook Time
30
minutes
Servings
4
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 100 gram dry urid dhal (whole black lentils)
- 25 gram dry rajma (kidney beans)
- 1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
- 3 cm piece ginger, crushed (about 1 inch)
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 fresh tomatoes, puréed
- 2 green chili peppers, slit in half
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaf (kasoori methi)
- salt to taste
- 1-2 tablespoon butter
- handful fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped
Directions
- Clean, wash and soak the black lentils and kidney beans separately, overnight.
- Drain and keep aside.
- Combine the two dhals and add 2 cups of water with a little salt and put into a pressure cooker and cook for about 25 minutes until they are cooked and soft.
- (DO NOT REMOVE the lid of the pressure cooker until fully cooled and pressure has been released.)
- Heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds crackle, add chopped onions and garlic.
- Fry the onion until golden brown over a medium flame.
- Stir in the tomato purée, add the turmeric, chili powder, ginger, green chili peppers and crushed coriander.
- Cook for a few minutes so the onions and tomatoes melt together.
- Add the cooked dhal and 1 cup of water and season with a little salt to taste.
- Leave to simmer for 15 minutes until it is lovely and thick.
- (Take care as it may catch on the bottom of the pan.)
- Stir in the butter, garam masala and fenugreek to make the dhal rich and delicious.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
- Serve with plain basmati rice and a good dollop of butter.