Dal Makhani Butter Lentils Recipes

DAL MAKHANI

Steps:

• Soak both the whole urad dal and rajma overnight in enough water for 8 to 9 hours or overnight. Later drain them well.
• Rinse both the lentils a couple of times in water.
• Drain again and then add them in a 3 litre pressure cooker. Add water and stir well.
• Pressure cook for 18 to 20 whistles on a high flame, till both the urad dal and rajma have cooked thoroughly and softened. If they are not cooked, then add about ½ cup water again and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles more.
• The urad dal should melt in the mouth and should not give any bite or resistance when eaten. You can also just mash the urad dal with a spoon or with your fingers to check the doneness. The same rule applies for rajma too. Keep the cooked beans aside.
• In a blender or mixer jar, take chopped tomatoes and blend to a smooth puree. Set aside.
• You can also add ready 1 cup tomato puree instead of blending the tomatoes. No need to blanch the tomatoes while pureeing.
• In a pan, now heat butter. You can use salted butter or unsalted butter.
• Add the whole spices - cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 small to medium tej patta.
• Fry for some seconds till the spices sputter and become aromatic.
• Add finely chopped onions.
• Stir and sauté the onions on a low or medium-low heat often till they become light golden.
• Add the ginger garlic paste. Stir again and sauté for some seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
• Add the chopped green chilies and sauté for a minute.
• Add the prepared tomato puree and mix well.
• Add red chili powder and 2 to 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
• Stir very well and sauté this mixture on a low to medium flame, till you see fat releasing from the sides.
• Then add the cooked urad dal and rajma beans along with the stock. Also add 1 cup water or as required.
• Stir very well and simmer the dal makhani uncovered on a low flame.
• Keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don't stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Once it has begun to thicken, add salt as required.
• Stir very well and continue to simmer on a low flame. Keep on stirring when the lentils are simmered on low heat.
• When simmering you can add more water if the gravy looks thick or dry. The longer you keep dal makhani to simmer, the better it tastes.
• I kept it for about an overall 25 minutes on a low flame. Do keep on stirring at intervals.
• When the gravy has thickened enough, then add cream. Dal makhani is not too thick or too thin. It has a medium consistency.
• Mix the cream very well. Then switch off the heat.
• Add crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Mix again.
• Cover and set dal makhani aside, if you are proceeding to the dhungar method. Or else you can serve dal makhni straight away.
• Heat a small piece of charcoal on flame till it becomes red hot. With the help of tongs, keep on turning the charcoal piece so that it evenly burns.
• Keep the red hot charcoal in a small bowl.
• Pour ½ teaspoon oil on the hot charcoal.
• Immediately keep this bowl on top of the dal makhani.
• Cover for a minute and allow the charcoal to infuse its smoke in the dal makhni. Remove the bowl. Stir again.
• Serve punjabi dal makhani garnished with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and a few teaspoons of cream with naan, roti, paratha or steamed rice.

DAL MAKHANI (INDIAN LENTILS)

Steps:

• Place lentils and kidney beans in a large bowl; cover with plenty of water. Soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain.
• Cook lentils, kidney beans, 5 cups water, and salt in a pot over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and set aside. Keep the lentils, kidney beans, and any excess cooking water in the pot.
• Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook cumin seeds in the hot oil until they begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and cloves; cook until bay leaves turn brown, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low; add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Stir to coat.
• Stir tomato puree into spice mixture; cook over medium heat until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, coriander, and butter; cook and stir until butter is melted.
• Stir lentils, kidney beans and any leftover cooking water into tomato mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Stir fenugreek into lentil mixture. Cover saucepan and simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Add cream and cook until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes.

DAL MAKHANI RECIPE (INSTANT POT & STOVETOP)

Steps:

• Add urad dal and rajma to a large pot and rinse them well a few times. Drain the water and soak them in 3 to 4 cups of water for 7 to 8 hours. To reduce the soaking time, you may soak them in boiling hot water for 4 to 5 hours.
• Later drain the water and rinse them well.
• Pour 4 cups fresh water and pressure cook for 10 whistles on a medium heat. You can also cook in a pot until soft and tender adding more water whenever needed. If cooking in instant pot, pressure cook on high pressure for 20 mins.
• Both urad dal and rajma must cook to very soft. When mashed with a spoon the dal and rajma must be soft and get mashed well easily. If not then pour another half cup hot water and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 whistles on a medium heat.
• Heat a heavy bottom pot with butter & ghee. If using whole spices, add them and saute for half a minute. Then add onions and fry until they turn golden.
• Stir in ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 minute until the raw smell goes away.
• Then transfer tomato puree and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thick.
• Add salt, chilli powder & garam masala. Saute well until the masala smells good and turns thick.
• Mash the cooked urad dal slightly and pour it along with the stock. Pour another 1 cup hot boiling water & mix.
• Cook on a low flame until the dal thickens stirring often in between to prevent burning the bottom. After 60 mins, the dal thickens.
• Add another ½ to 1 cup hot boiling water and continue to cook until thick. This takes another 30 mins. Totally cook for about 90 mins from the time you added the cooked dal to the pot.
• Then add kasuri methi and pour cream. Stir and cook again for 6 to 8 mins until it becomes thick and creamy.
• Taste and add more salt if needed. Add butter and mix well.
• Place a small piece of foil or a tall steel cup on the dal makhani. Hold 1 to 2 inch piece of natural wood charcoal with a tong and burn it on direct fire until red hot. Then place it on the foil kept over dal or in the steel cup.
• Quickly pour ¼ tsp ghee on the hot coal. Immediately cover the pot and allow to smoke for 3 to 4 mins. For stronger flavor, add another ¼ tsp ghee on the coal and repeat the smoking.
• Garnish dal makhani with butter or cream & serve with naan.
• Press SAUTE button on the Instant pot. Add ghee and butter to the steel insert.
• Once the butter melts, add onions and saute until transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.
• Pour the tomato puree, red chilli powder & garam masala. Saute for 3 to 5 mins.
• Drain the water from the lentils and add them. Pour 3 cups water and deglaze the pot by scrubbing the bottom with a wooden spatula.
• Press CANCEL button. Secure the Instant pot with the lid. Position the steam release handle to sealing.
• Press PRESSURE COOK button and set the timer to 30 mins.
• When the IP finishes it will beep. Wait for the pressure to release naturally.
• Open the lid. You will see the dal being runny at this stage. Add salt & slightly mash the urad dal, not rajma.
• Press SAUTE button. Adjust the setting to LOW by pressing the saute button twice.
• Cook further stirring often until thick. When most of the moisture evaporates, dal turns thicker. Optional - I prefer to add 1 more cup of hot water in 2 batches, ½ cup each time. Cook further until really creamy and thick.
• Then add cream and kasuri methi. Continue to cook until creamy.
• Stir in the butter and garnish dal makhani with cream.

DAL MAKHANI RECIPE | VEGAN BLACK LENTIL DAL

Steps:

• Wash and rinse whole Black lentil (whole urad dal) and sock it overnight with 3 cups of water.
• In morning, drain extra water and transfer lentils to pressure cooker or instant pot. Add bay leaves, green cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, clove, grated ginger, salt and around 3.5 cups of water.
• Pressure cook on high medium heat for 7-8 whistles. Then turn the heat to low-medium and pressure cook for additional 10 mins. Let the pressure release naturally. (If using Instant pot, then cook on high pressure for 30 mins and release pressure naturally. )Make sure the dal is completely cooked and you should be easily mash it with your fingers.
• In a large pot, heat oil/Ghee on medium heat. Once it is hot, add grated ginger, asafetida, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric and dry mango powder. Sauté all masala for 30 seconds stirring frequently.
• Add tomato puree, mix well with masala and cook it for 2-3 mins.
• Add boiled dal to the pan and mix. Mash the dal using a whisk for that creamy dal makhani texture. Add little hot water if required to adjust the consistency.
• Add dry fenugreek leaves and garam masala. Mix everything and cook the dal on low-medium heat for 15 mins stirring frequently so that dal doesn't stick at the bottom of the pan.
• Lastly add heavy whipping cream/cashew cream and butter/vegan butter before serving. Mix everything and serve hot with Rice, Roti or Naan. Enjoy!

DAL MAKHANI (INDIAN BUTTER LENTILS)

Steps:

• Add the black lentils and red beans to a large bowl; fill the bowl with room temperature water and soak overnight. Rinse and drain the next day.
• The next day, rinse and drain the soaked lentils and beans. Add them to a 5-quart pot along with the vegetable stock. Bring up to a boil, then cover the pot, turn heat down to simmer, and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and deep caramel in color, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add a splash of water or turn the heat down at any point if the onions start to get too dark or the pan starts to get too hot.
• Once the onion is caramelized, turn the heat to medium (if it wasn't there already) and add the garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, red chilies, garam masala, coriander, cumin, chili powder, sweet paprika, fenugreek, and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
• Once the lentils and beans have cooked for 1 hour, stir in the onion/spice mixture, the diced tomatoes, and the tomato paste.
• Gently simmer (uncovered) until the sauce is somewhat thickened and the lentils and beans are fully tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently. (Of course you can cover the pot if the sauce gets too thick before the lentils and beans are already tender.)
• Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and cream.
• Serve topped with any garnishes you like along with rice or Indian bread.

DAL MAKHANI (BUTTER LENTILS)

Steps:

• Soak lentils in a saucepan of water for 1 hour. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Drain.
• Heat cinnamon, chile powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, cloves, allspice, and bay leaves in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Stir olive oil into the skillet. Add tomatoes, ginger paste, and garlic; simmer until flavors combine, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and salt. Cook until mixture thickens into a pulpy sauce, about 5 minutes. Add lentils and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir cream and butter into sauce. Cook until sauce thickens and lentils are very soft, about 30 minutes. Squeeze some lime juice over each serving.