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Dal Makhani

This creamy and rich dal is one of the India's favorite dal. And guess what, there is not cream in this recipe.
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Prep Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 9 hours 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For Base

  • 1/2 cup whole urad dal
  • 1/4 cup kidney beans
  • 1/8 cup channa dal
  • 4 cups water for cooking
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 inch ginger jullienne cut
  • 1 green chilli jullienne cut
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • salt as per taste

For Dal Masala

  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • 3 tsp coriander cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp amchur powder
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/8 tsp garam masala

For Tempering

  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 small onion pureed
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves
  • salt as per taste

Instructions
 

For Base

  • Soak urad dal and kidney beans together for at least 8 hours. Separately soak channa dal also for at least 8 hours.
  • Pressure cook channa dal with 1 cup of water on medium heat for 12 minutes if using instant pot or 5 whistles if using pressure cooker. Let the pressure cooker cool down and depressurized naturally.
  • Mash the cooked channa dal completely and add whole spices (bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon stick) along with 1 tsp salt.
  • Add soak urad dal and kidney beans to the channa dal mixture; add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 20 minutes or 10 whistles if using pressure cooker. Let the pressure cooker cool down and depressurized naturally.
  • Take 1/4 cup of cooked dal in a grinder, add some ice and grind it until it is completely smooth.
  • Add the grind dal back in pressure cooker/instant pot container; add julienne cut ginger and green chillies and 1 cup of water. Cover with a lid and cook on low flame for 20 to 25 minutes; stir the dal mix everything 10 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and cook for another 10 minutes on low flame. At the end your cooked dal will reduced to 2/3 of it's original quantity.
  • Turn off of the flame and let the dal cool down; this will help the dal to get more thicker.

For Dal Masala

  • Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl and keep it aside.

For Tempering

  • In a large pot heat the ghee on a medium heat.
  • Add pureed onions and cook until they are brownish and ghee starts separating; for 10-12 minutes.
  • Stir in turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add tomato sauce along with 1/2 tsp of salt and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Next, add the dal masala and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Stir in 1/2 cup of water along with whole milk. Once the mix comes to boil add the cooked dal and stir until everything is mixed.
  • Cook on a low flame for 10-15 minutes or until it reached your desired consistency. Adjust salt as per your taste.
  • Before turning off the flame stir in kasuri methi. You can also add some butter or cream to the dal for more richness.
  • Serve warm with naan or rice.