On any given day, I would have a pot of dal makhani simmering away on the stove. That given day would mostly be a Sunday, when a pot of dal makhani would be slowly bubbling away over low heat on the stove, while the kids are fumbling over some Lego pieces on the kitchen island. Yes definitely a Sunday, when we take a break from the daily grind and go low and slow.
Going back to the dal makhani, cooking it low and slow is an age-old Indian tradition. The dal is simmered on very low heat for hours until each lentil starts to break apart giving rise to this creamy, slightly slimy texture. Cooking it to the right texture is important. And then to this cooked dal is introduced the tadka or tempering.
I use a bhunao tadka here. Bhunao is a process of sautéing and stir frying over medium to high heat, adding small quantities of liquid to prevent the ingredients from sticking. This method requires constant stirring of the ingredients. The onion-ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes are cooked here using this method. Cooking the tadka perfectly is key to a very good dal makhani.
Dal connotes to lentils and legumes, both in its raw as well as cooked form. Any Indian pantry would boast of at least half a dozen of different kinds of dal. And any Indian can show multifarious ways of cooking dal. But all of them have two common denominators- first boil the dal and then add the tempering. For dal makhani, it is customary to use Urad Dal or black lentils. Makhan literally means butter and dal makhani means dal cooked in oodles of butter. I don’t use cream in this variation of dal makhani but use 1 stick or 8 tablespoons of very good butter. I boil the dal until it is 90 percent cooked, rest 10 percent is cooked after adding the tadka. After adding the tadka simmer the dal for another 30 minutes, stirring it consistently until it is thick and creamy.
Video of Cooking Dal Makhani
Recipe
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 2 tablespoons cumin seeds |
| 3 tablespoons coriander seeds |
| 1 teaspoon fennel seeds |
| 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek) leaves |
| 1 ½ cup dry whole Urad dal (black lentil), will yield 5 cups after being soaked overnight |
| 1 large yellow onion |
| 5 cloves of garlic |
| 1 inch piece of ginger |
| 2 tomatoes |
| 2 bay leaves |
| 1 tablespoon freshly ground Kashmiri chili powder |
| 1 teaspoon garam masala, any store bought variety is fine. I prefer to make my own by roasting and grinding a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and bay leaves |
| 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter |
| 2 tablespoon vegetable oil |
| 1 tablespoon salt |
Whole dried Kashmiri Chili & Bay leaves Whole roasted spices Ground spices 
Fresh ingredients Onion, ginger and garlic paste & tomato puree Dal soaked overnight 
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Wash the Urad dal (black lentils) in lots of water, at least three times to get rid of any grit or grime |
| Soak Urad dal in plenty of water overnight or at least 8 hours |
| Add the soaked dal and 8 cups of water in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan. You may need to add more water later |
| Simmer the pot in medium heat for about 45 minutes until the dal is cooked. Stir the dal from time to time. Skim out any foam that rises to the top |
| While the dal is simmering for 45 minutes prepare the tadka |
| For spices, lightly roast the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a dry pan. Grind together the cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and kasoori methi leaves in a coffee grinder or any other food grinder |
| Make a paste of onions, ginger and garlic in a blender or food processor or mixer-grinder |
| Make a puree of the fresh tomatoes either in a food processor or blender or mixer-grinder |
| For the tadka, heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaves |
| Add the onion, ginger, garlic paste and cook the paste until most of the moisture evaporates and the raw smell of the veggies subside and a nice aroma of the paste whiffs through the kitchen. You may need to sprinkle some water while doing this so that the paste does not stick to the bottom of the pan |
| Add the tomato puree and cook until the onions and tomatoes are are cooked through |
| Add 2 tablespoons of the previously made spice mixture |
| Add 1 tablespoon of Kashmiri chili powder |
| Add salt |
| Continue cooking the tadka mixture until all the onion and tomatoes are cooked and the spices are nicely incorporated. Take care not to burn any of the paste |
| Meanwhile, add 4 tablespoons butter to the simmering dal towards the end of the 45 minutes |
| Add the tadka to the simmering pot of dal |
| Simmer the tadka with the dal on low heat for about 30 minutes until everything comes together and the dal is thick and creamy |
| Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the teaspoon of garam masala powder |
| Simmer for another 2 minutes, give it a final stir to make sure everything has been incorporated |
| Dal makhani is ready. Serve hot with steamed rice or roti |
Note: To cut down cook time Urad dal or Black lentils can be boiled in a pressure cooker.
If you make this Dal Makhani, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you! And if you do make this recipe, please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or your favorite social media platform! I would love to see pictures of your creations.
Inspiration: Classic comfort foods
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