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Dal Makhani


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Michelle Minnaar
  • Total Time: 6 hours
  • Yield: 12 portions 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Flavorful and creamy, Dal Makhani is a classic Indian dish featuring black lentils in a rich tomato and spice-infused sauce. Pure comfort in every bite!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Boiled Urad Dal

  • 225g (1 1/4 cups) whole black lentils / urad dal
  • 1.25l (5 cups) water
  • 2.5cm (1 inch) fresh root ginger, finely chopped

Dal Makhani

  • 30ml (2 tbsp) ghee
  • 200g (7 oz) brown onion paste
  • 12 garlic cloves, pureed
  • 2.5cm (1 inch) fresh root ginger, finely chopped
  • 10ml (2 tsp) paprika
  • 5ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
  • 5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
  • 2.5ml (1/2 tsp) chili powder
  • 5ml (1 tsp) tomato puree
  • 200g (7 oz) tinned tomatoes, pureed
  • 45ml (3 tbsp) garam masala
  • 150ml (5 fl oz) single cream
  • 150g (5 fl oz) unsalted butter
  • 10ml (2 tsp) rock salt

Garnish

  • Coriander leaves, chopped
  • Double / heavy cream
  • Fresh ginger, julienned
  • Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crumbled
  • green chilies, finely sliced
  • lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. For the Boiled Urad Dhal: Soak the lentils in plenty of water for at least 12 hours. Drain and rinse well.
  2. To cook the lentils, bring the measured water to the boil in a 2.5 litre (4½ pint) saucepan. Add the lentils and half the ginger. When it returns to the boil, stir to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer for a further 1 hour or so, stirring from time to time. By this time, the lentils should have absorbed all the water and be soft, not al dente.
  4. For the Dal Makhani: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
  5. Heat the ghee in a 2.5 litre (4½ pint) ovenproof casserole dish. 
  6. Add the brown onion paste, garlic and ginger. Fry it for a few minutes, while stirring constantly. 
  7. Add the paprika, coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Stir fry for another 3 minutes or until the spices’ aromas get released - you will smell it. 
  8. Mix in the lentils.
  9. Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and garam masala to the lentils. Cook for a further 15 minutes, adding a cupful or two of water as needed so as to retain a pouring consistency.
  10. Cover the casserole with a lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Cook for at least 3 hours. Check the consistency of the mixture every 40 minutes or so – adding water to maintain the pouring consistency.
  11. On your last check, add the cream, butter and salt and give it a final 20 or so minutes cooking in the oven with the oven switched off.
  12. Garnish with any of the ingredients mentioned above. Serve with plain or jeera rice, naan, roti, paratha, cucumber salad, raita, pickles or chutney. Enjoy! 

Notes

  • Traditionally, a mixture of black lentils, red kidney beans and yellow split peas should be used in a ratio of 4:1:1. For simplicity I only used urad dal in the recipe but there’s nothing stopping you from using different pulses of your choosing and playing with the ratios.
  • Since this dish is cooked long and slow, it’s the perfect recipe for a slow cooker. 
  • This isn’t the quickest recipe to prepare and is essentially a labor of love because it tastes just so damn good. To get the biggest bang for your buck, double up on the ingredients. Heck, I used 1.5kg of dried urad dal, which means I multiplied the ingredients by 6! Just make sure you have a big enough pot to cook it in. 
  • Of course, when you end up with such a big batch of this awesome dish, you need to store it. It freezes superbly! So split it up into batches and enjoy if and when it strikes your fancy.
  • If you don’t have ghee, use butter.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 hours and 30 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Simmer
  • Cuisine: Indian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 242
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Sodium: 409.7 mg
  • Fat: 16.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 10.4 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 16 g
  • Fiber: 2.8 g
  • Protein: 5.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 46.1 mg