Dal Makhani – A Step-by-step Guide To Creating This Classic Indian Side Dish

Originating from the Punjab region in India, Dal Makhani is a classic curry dish, with a long, rich history. One of the most revered vegetarian dishes, this vegetarian dish has countless variations and has developed over time to become a mixture of cooked urad dal and rajma kidney beans, cooked in a creamy sauce to produce an incredibly flavorful slow cooked classic.

With both ingredients well-known staples in Punjab cuisine, the combination makes for one incredible curry that will tantalize your tastebuds and please the whole family!

The foundational flavor is the ghee, spices, onion paste, and garlic, all fried until everything takes on a golden hue. Then the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes are combined with chili powder and garam masala powder before the mix is left to simmer, creating a slow cook dal that takes the breath away.

As you work towards making the perfect Dal Makhani, remember to keep in mind all of the necessary techniques and tricks that will help give your creation a restaurant-style finish. Finding balance within flavors is essential for this traditional Punjabi dish. It’s also really important to follow the instructions below for the slow cooking method, in order to get that amazing authentic taste.

Dal Makhani is an Indian dish which can be traced back to the Punjab province, renowned for its wide variety of flavor-filled cuisine. It gained popularity in 1947 due to Kundan Lal Gujral and his iconic take on it from The Moti Mahal restaurants.

Over the years, dal makhani has grown in popularity. Now, not only Punjabi households eat this urad dal recipe, but it’s actually being enjoyed around the globe. Traditional recipes use lashings of cream and butter, which certainly help with the taste!

Dal Makhani can be conveniently prepared in advance and stored for later. For best results, leftovers should be sealed in an air-tight container and placed inside the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.
You can store dal makhani leftovers for up to 5 days.

To ensure optimal flavor and consistency when reheating your Dal, butter, cream, as well as kasuri methi (a spice blend) must all be included during this process, either on the stovetop using a pan or with an Instant Pot cooker. With that said, doing so guarantees it will remain sumptuous while retaining its creamy texture throughout storage.

Dal Makhani is all about the lentils and beans, mainly black urad dal, also known as sabut urad or kaali urad. The ideal ratio for a perfect dal makhani recipe is 1 cup of whole black lentils (urad dal) to 1/4 cups each of red kidney beans (rajma) and dried split chickpeas (chana dal bengar gram). Sometimes whole mung beans (moong dal) are also used.

These lentils will give you an exquisite creamy texture that makes this dish so popular. For best results, you need to soak them in water for at least 12 hours or overnight before cooking.

Cream and butter are key elements when it comes to getting the creamy indulgent texture that’s essential to an authentic Dal Makhani recipe. So, if you’re after that incredible restaurant style taste for your Dal Makhani, then whatever you do, don’t skimp on cream and butter!

It’s through these ingredients that you’ll achieve that lusciously smooth texture that’s so important for this classic lentil curry – it truly makes a difference!

Keep in mind, low-fat or light cream works great here too. You could also add two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream to get an even richer flavor.

Yes, it uses finely chopped onions. More specifically, for a traditional dal makhani recipe, you need to cook the onions into a sweet, intensely flavored paste. This will form the basis for your dal makhani.

The idea is to add finely chopped onions from the beginning and cook them down until they are completely soft and caramelized. You then need to blitz everything in a food processor until a smooth paste forms.

For this recipe, I’ve gone for convenience over tradition. Use a ready made onion paste, which tastes just as good as cooking your own and is far easier.

It’s cooked with whole urad dal (black lentils) and spices, along with butter and cream – sometimes adding beans to enhance flavor. The result is a subtly spiced creamy textured curry that lingers long in the memory.

Garam masala, red chili powder, coriander, cumin and paprika all play a key role in creating the right flavor profile for this makhani recipe.

Bringing balance to these spices, tomato puree adds acidity and a pleasant tanginess. As well as enhancing the taste, it also provides a creamier texture. Striking the right balance between all these ingredients is really important when it comes to making this tantalizing dal makhni recipe.