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Daal Makhani Recipe, How To Make Restaurant Style Daal Makhani

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Daal makhani -Black lentils and kidney beans cooked with cream – North India’s favourite daal!!

Daal Makhani or Maa di Daal – This is probably the most popular Indian lentil preparation across the world which originated in  Punjab but now enjoyed all over.

The appeal of Daal Makhani is its rich and  creamy texture and is traditionally cooked overnight on a clay oven (known as Tandoors), its characteristic taste comes from the slow and thorough cooking and addition of butter and cream.

This recipes is just like the daal served in restaurants and taste awesome !!

How To Make Daal Makhani

First of all choose good quality of rajma and whole urad daal as very old stock takes time to cook. Then do soak the lentils overnight that way they will cook better. First slow cook the daal in the pressure cooker till the daal become soft and creamy, After first whistle lower the flame and let it cook for around 20- 25 minutes

Add whole spices in the daal while cooking it in the pressure cooker, addition of whole spices always gives nice flavour as compared to the powdered garam masala.

Do add cream and butter in the daal to get the creamy texture and taste of the restaurant wali daal. In case you don’t  want to add that much butter and cream then add  full fat milk and some butter.

After pressure cooking the daal ,mash it slightly and then add the tadka, cream and simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Slow cooking enhance the taste of the daal. In most of the hotels this daal is cooked overnight in tandoors which is the secret of that amazing restaurant style daal makahni or daal bukhara. But in this version, we’ll be cooking it in a  kitchen setup, and in a much shorter time

Dungaar- You can also give dungar (charcoal smoke )to the daal which enhance the flavors and give a restaurant like taste to your daal.

Do try these delicious Daal Recipes-

daal makhni recipe

daal makhani
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5 from 2 votes

Daal Makhani Recipe

Daal makhani -Black lentils cooked with cream - North India's favourite daal!!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time50 mins
Course: Lentil/Daal, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Punjabi Cuisine
Keyword: daal, makhani
Servings: 6
Author: anjanaskc

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Whole Black Lentil/ Sabut Urad
  • 1/4 cup Kidney Beans/ Rajma
  • 1.5 inch Ginger/ adrak
  • 3 Green Chilies
  • 2 tsp Kshmiri Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
  • to Taste Salt
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Kasoori Methi
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Cream
  • A Piece Of Charcoal Optional

Tempering / Tadka

  • 4 Tomato
  • 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera
  • 2 Black Cardamom
  • 2 cloves
  • 1/2 Inch Cinnamon/ Daalchini
  • 2 green Cardamom
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 2 tbsp Ghee or butter

Instructions

  • Wash and soak black lentil (urad daal) and rajma(kidney beans) together in enough water for at least 8 hours.
  • Drain the water and wash thoroughly at least for 4-5 times till the water stays clear even while washing the daal.
  • Take the lentil,kidney beans, grated ginger, 1 tsp chili powder and 2 glasses of water and pressure cook for
    2 whistles on high flame then lower the heat and let it cook for another 20
    minutes.
  • When the cooker cools down completely, open the
    pressure cooker. The cooked lentils should be very soft to touch. There
    should be no need to mash the lentils.
  • Chop and blend tomatoes, chilies and 1 tsp ginger to a smooth puree.
  • Heat 2 tblsp oil and 2 tblsp butter in the cooking pan, and add cumin, cardamom,cinnamon,cloves and bay leaf. When the cumin turns golden add the tomato puree and cook for a minute.
  • Then add the chili powder (use Kashmiri chili powder to give a nice and
    bright colour), turmeric and coriander powder and cook till the oil starts separating from the mixture.
  • Add the cooked daal(lentil), water, kasoori methi and milk and simmer for 30 minutes.(this daal will thicken after some time so make sure to add enough water for cooking)
  • Add cream(can use1/2 cup to 1 cup cream-depends on your choice,or you can substitute this with 2 cups of milk for a low fat version) cook for another 5 minutes
  • Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with a dollop of fresh butter on top .
  • Serve with Jeera rice ,naan or any bread of your choice.

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    You have used coriander powder in the STEP 7 but the ingredient & quantity is not mentioned in the list. How much should we add ?

    Reply

  4. meena says

    hi i had seen dal makhani in one of tv shows long back and i had tried it. though minus bay leaves and all. instead i used garam masala in it and the creamy look it gave came out very good. ur jeera rice looks even yummier

    Reply

  6. Anisha Ranjit says

    I love Dal Makhani… this is a delicious recipe. I would love to try this saatvik version.

    Reply

  11. R says

    the classic dish. looks so delicious!

    Reply

  13. Now Serving says

    Wow! Dal Makhani looks great! It's a fav whenever we go to delhi 🙂 Great snaps dear

    Reply

  17. Maayeka says

    @Nisha Yes, the urad dal and rajma have to be washed and cooked together. Thanks for pointing it out – I've mentioned it in the recipe now. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply

  19. Spice up the Curry says

    dal makhani is my fav. But i never made at home. Always order when i go to restaurant. yours looks really very good.

    Reply

  20. Nisha says

    Ooooooooooooooo I lovveeeeeeeeeee Dal Makhani!!!!!!

    Whenever we go eat in restaurant, I always order this one. It feels like Tadka Dal can be cooked at home, but Dal Makhani? There's something special about it!

    P.S.: Anjana – Do you wash urad dal & rajma and soak together? (not given in the procedure..)

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    Reply

  21. Hema says

    Dal Makhani looks simply awesome, nice combo with the jeera rice..

    Reply

  22. Anu says

    DAl makhani looks rich and creamy and best dide for Jeera rice.

    Reply

  23. Kavita says

    One of the most tried and tested and awsomest combos!

    Reply

  24. PJ says

    Anjana ji,Thanks for stopping by my blog. Andyou have a wonderful space here.Pics are very tempting.Am going to browse thro ur archives.

    Reply

  28. radha says

    The Dal Makhni looks so creamy. And the jeera rice – perfect combo.

    Reply

  29. Jagruti says

    Our family fav dish..pics are droolworthy..Thnx for linking it to my event page, but please can you link my event page here on your post? Thanks !!

    Reply

  30. Priya says

    Omg, am inviting myself to ur place, wat a lovely dishes together.

    Reply

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