Dal makhni/ black lentil dal/ Black lentil gravy/ Buttery lentil/ Punjabi dal makhni

Dal makhani

Are you familiar with dal makhani? It is a rich, spiced, lentil gravy made for special occasions in India. It’s RICH because it is cooked slowly and needs a lot of patience & a lottttt of butter. This is a very popular dish in the North Indian restaurant menu. Coming from Punjab this buttery lentil mix is scrumptious. The Punjabi meal is not complete without this makhani gravy dish on special occasions. This recipe – dal makhani, is the king of all the gravies, especially in the vegetarian category. The longer you cook it, the better it gets. It is unapologetically rich; makhani means “buttery” in Hindi. Perfect to make ahead for weeknight dinner and a great crowd-pleaser. Obviously, It cannot be eaten on a regular basis because of its high calories, but once & twice dal makhani can be enjoyed.

The Black lentil used in the dal makhani has various health benefits:

1. Urad dal is one of the richest sources of proteins, vitamin B, and is also beneficial for women. This simple lentil is full of iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium which makes it a perfect health package for pregnant women & beneficial for heart health.
2. It is rich in fiber both soluble and insoluble which improves our digestion.
3. It strengthens the nervous system and makes the brain function healthy.
4. It is one of the healthy pulses for vegetarians as it boosts energy in the body, so feeling lethargic is not a chance with this Black lentil.

Soak the dal overnight or at least 6 hours is also important. There are many timesavers techniques people suggest, like pouring hot water or cooking for a longer time and reducing the soaking time, etc. All those things never work. The end outcome will always be that it hardens the dal. So try this step by step the traditional way of preparing Dal makhani recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked Black lentil (Urad dal)

4 medium-sized tomato

1 full garlic peeled and chopped into pieces

1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder

1 tsp Kasoori methi

2-3 tbsp cream

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp ghee

Recipe:

First, take urad dal & wash it properly for 3-5 mins with hand in the soaked water itself. After it is washed, add 4 cups fresh water & let it cook on high flame for 10-15 mins then on a medium flame for another 15 mins. In the meantime, Make light cross-cut on the backside of tomato and microwave for 3 mins in 1 cup water. After it is parboiled or microwaved, Remove the skin of tomatoes and grind it into a fine paste & keep it aside.

Take a pan, add 1/2 of the butter, half of the chopped garlic, ginger paste & fry for 1-2 mins.

Now switch off the flame & add Kashmiri chili powder & mix nicely. Switching off flame is a must as it will ensure the nice red color of the gravy will be maintained & also chili on the high flame will make you cry.

Add the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 mins on medium flame.

Now to check if lentil is perfectly boiled or not. It should be perfectly bloomed & split.

Now tomato paste is also ready. Add the boiled black lentil into a paste.

Add 1 cup of water, depends on requirement & salt as per taste. Let it boil on high flame for 2 mins. Now, switch to medium flame & cover it to cook for 15-20 mins.

After 15 mins. In a separate tadka bowl, Add ghee & remaining garlic after it becomes golden brown directly pour into the gravy. 

Once you get the thickened consistency, Add remaining butter and let it cook for 5-7 mins on medium flame.

Afterwards add kasoori methi & cream(totally optional). Mix all really well & switch off the gas.

Serve it with steamed rice or phulka. This butter dish will melt in your mouth.

Try our other Punjabi cuisines, Gobi ka paratha, Beetroot paratha, Pyaaz ka paratha.
we prepared a Dum-aloo recipe recently.
After eating this rich gravy detoxify your body with our detox turmeric tea.

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