Punjabi Dal Makhani Recipes

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.

PUNJABI DAL MAKHANI

Steps:

• Soak whole black urad and rajma overnight in 3-4 cups of water.
• Cook the soaked dal and rajma in the same water with salt, red chili powder and half the chopped ginger till dal and rajma are cooked and soft.
• Peel and chop the onion, ginger and garlic finely. Also chop the tomatoes.
• Heat oil and butter in a thick-bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds, when it crackles add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic and chopped tomatoes. Sauté till tomatoes are well mashed and fat starts to leave the masala. Add boiled dal and rajma to this.Do not add the liquid at first.Crush(mash) the dals with the back of the ladle while stirring continuously, this gives that creamy texture to the dal .
• Add the liquid and some water if required and simmer on very low heat for fifteen minutes.
• Add fresh cream and garam masala powder let it simmer for another five minutes. Finish off with a couple of pinch of Kasoori methi powdered.
• Serve hot with Naan or Paraatha.
• Tip: Replacing the tomatoes with 4 tablespoons of thick tomato paste will enhance the taste and colour of the dish manifold.

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 RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE DAL MAKHANI | DHABA-STYLE DAL MAKHANI | PUNJABI DAL MAKHANI |

Steps:

• For dal makhaniTo start making dal makhani recipe, first clean, wash and soak the whole urad and rajma overnight.Drain, add 2 cups of water and salt and pressure cook for 7 whistles or till the dals are overcooked.Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.Whisk till the dal is almost mashed. Keep aside.For the tempering, heat the butter in a deep pan and add the cumin seeds.When the cumin seeds crackle, add the green chillies, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, and onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown in colour.Add the ginger-garlic paste,chilli powder, turmeric powder and tomato puree and cook over a medium flame till the mixture leaves oil.Add the dal, salt and approx 2 to 3 tbsp water if required and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.Add the cream and mix well. Simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes.Serve the dal makhani hot garnished with coriander and fresh cream.
• Clean, wash and soak the whole urad in a deep bowl.Clean, wash and soak the rajma in another bowl.Cover and keep the whole urad bowl aside for overnight. It is important to soak them overnight so that they take lesser time to cook.Cover and keep the rajma bowl aside for overnight. After soaking the whole urad dal overnight, it looks like this. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1570706400435-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot0]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot1 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot1").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot1]); }); After soaking the rajma overnight, they look like this.Drain the water, rinse them in running water and transfer the whole urad dal and rajma into a pressure cooker.Add 2 cups of water and salt.Pressure cook for 7 whistles or till the dals are overcooked. Both the urad dal and rajma should not be chewy or have resistance on eating, so ensure they are very well cooked. Cool the pressure cooker completely i.e. depressurize and open the lid. You will see the urad dal and rajma have softened now. Whisk till the dal is almost mashed. If you want, you can use a potato masher to mash the dal. Keep aside. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot2 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot2").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot2]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot3 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot3").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot3]); });
• Let's start with the tempering. Heat butter in a deep pan. You can use salted or unsalted butter. To make it vegan, use oil instead of butter.Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. It will release its flavour and enhance the taste of the dal. Cumin seeds also when roasted and powdered add a great flavour to chaats, raitas, buttermilk and salads.When the seeds crackle add the slit green chillies and sauté. Doing so, the green chillies will release its heat and add a delicious spicy taste to the dal. Add cinnamon.If you want, you can even add a bay leaf and black cardamom. Cinnamon has a delicate though strong sweet flavour.Then add the cloves. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot4 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot4").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot4]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot5 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot5").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot5]); }); And finally cardamoms. These condiments will further help to enhance the flavour of the dal and release a pleasant aroma.Add the finely chopped onions.Sauté till they are golden brown in colour. This would take around 3 minutes.The onions are now golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Ginger and garlic not only add flavour but also have health benefits, like garlic is great for the heart and circulatory system and ginger is noted as having antioxidant effects and aids digestion. Learn how to make restaurant style ginger-garlic paste that stays fresh in a deep-freezer for almost two months. Now add the red chilli powder. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot6 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot6").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot6]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot7 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot7").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot7]); }); Then add the turmeric powder. It not only adds colour but also has innumerable health benefits.Add the fresh tomato pulp. You can also use ready-made tomato puree which has a more concentrated flavour, but nothing like the one made with fresh tomatoes. Learn how to make thick homemade tomato pulp using this video. Sauté till the tomato mixture releases oil and the masalas are well blended. This would take around 8-10 minutes on a medium flame.Now to this mixture add the pressure cooked black dal and rajma. We have added some salt while boiling the dal, now add a little more salt as per taste and mix well. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot8 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot8").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot8]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot9 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot9").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot9]); }); If the dal makhani is too thick, add some water (around 2-3 tbsp) and mix well. Let the dal makhani simmer on a medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. This is the most important step to get a really creamy and rich dal. While simmering if you feel the dal makhani is still thick then add more water. Traditionally, this dal is simmered for overnight over wood on low heat so, slow cooking it for a long period of time gives out the best flavour. Finally add the cream, the addition of this will justify the recipe name and give the Dal Makhani a creamy smooth texture and taste. You can decide more or less as per your preference. After adding the cream mix well and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring the Dal Makani to prevent burning. Vegans can make use of cashew cream. Garnish with coriander. To make it a dhaba-style dal makhani, a final touch by giving a smoky flavour (dhungaar) with charcoal. If you wish you can try that by heating a charcoal piece until it is red hot. Keep a small bowl over the dal and place the charcoal over it. Drizzle a tsp of ghee and immediately cover the lid of the dal. Let the smoke soak in the dal. Remove the lid and discard the coal. Heat the dal once again before serving. Enjoy the Dal Makhani with Indian flat bread like rotis, butter naan and parathas or with plain rice, jeera rice or vegetable pulao. This Punjabi dal is apt for any Indian party menu. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot10 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot10").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot10]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot11 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot11").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot11]); });
• The urad and rajma has to be soaked overnight. So plan for it in advance. Rajma and urad takes extra time to cook, so pressure cook for 7 whistles. The cooked rajma and urad for this recipe has be slightly over cooked. The tomato pulp used in this recipe is fresh. Learn how to make thick homemade tomato pulp using this video. If you are using readymade tomato puree, then you may need not more than ¼ cup. // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot12 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot12").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot12]); }); // Call display() to register the slot as ready // and refresh() to fetch an ad. var adslot13 = googletag.defineSlot('/1035919/Rcp_Step_BlockAd', [336, 280], "adslot13").setTargeting("test", "infinitescroll").addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1548320692495-0'); googletag.pubads().refresh([adslot13]); }); We recommend the use of fresh cream for a restaurant style flavour. Do not use the cream formed on top of milk after boiling. If you are serving it later, you will need to adjust the consistency with little water while re-heating. This is because the dal tents to thicken with time.