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Some recipes instantly add a smile to your face and make you feel at home. One such dish, for most people in India, is dal makhani. The creamy texture with a subtle smoky flavour is sure to remind you of childhood when on a happy Sunday, your mother or grandmother used to prepare dal makhani paired with hot parathas.
Since the Punjabi staple is often associated with the roadside dhabas, it’s only fair to make it authentic whenever you plan to carry the legacy forward. Whenever you need a warm hug on a chilly night, you can prepare yourself dal makhani to take you back home. Pair it with a flaky paratha or jeera rice and of course, aam ka achaar and some slices of onion with a squeeze of lemon, and you’ll have a meal of your life!
And the best part is that with this easy-to-follow recipe, you no longer have to order it from a North Indian restaurant, but you can replicate it right in your kitchen. This dhaba-style dal makhani recipe is all about finding simple ingredients, finding a
Read MoreRinse rajma and urad dal under running water. Soak them together overnight or at least for eight hours. This will help ensure even cooking and a richer serving of dal makhani.
Drain the soaked rajma and urad dal. Transfer them to a pressure cooker and add four cups of water and a pinch of salt. Pressure cook on medium flame. After 8-10 whistles, turn off the heat and let the pressure release itself.
After removing the lid, check if the lentils are soft enough to be cooked. Mash them slightly with the back of a ladle to release starch and thicken the gravy naturally.
Then, take another pan and heat some ghee and butter. Wash and chop an onion and sauté till golden brown. Grate some ginger, mince garlic, and slit a green chilli, and then add them to the pan.
Once fragrant, pour in the tomato puree and give it a stir. Mix in spices like Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Cook till the oil starts to separate from the masala.
Add the cooked dal and rajma mixture to the masala and stir well. You can add some more water to adjust the consistency and let the dal simmer on a low flame for about an hour. The longer you simmer dal makhani, the richer the flavour will be.
After an hour or so, stir in some fresh cream on top of the dal, add kasuri methi, garam masala, and salt to taste. Let it simmer for another ten minutes.
This is an optional step; you must try it for that dhaba-like smokiness. You can heat a small piece of charcoal, place it inside a steel bowl inside the dal and pour a teaspoon of ghee on the charcoal. Cover it immediately and let the charcoal release its smokiness for a couple of minutes. You can then remove the bowl from the dal.
Finally, add a dollop of butter on top of dal makhani and serve it hot with naan, roti, or rice.
Yes, the typical dal makahni recipe will be a little spicy. But you can always adjust the quantity of red chilli powder or use degi mirch powder to make it less spicy.
Dal makahni features a slow-simmered combination of sabut urad dal and rajma in a tomato-based gravy with generously added butter and cream. On the other hand, the regular dal is usually made with split lentils and is less creamy and more decadent in flavour.
You can let the dal makhani cool down and refrigerate it in an airtight container for about two to three days. To reheat, you can add some hot water to even out the consistency. You can even freeze dal makhani for about 2-3 weeks.
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