Dal makhani is a very popular Punjabi dish and it can be called the Queen of all dals. It is very simple to make and goes well with jeera pulao, rotis, parathas and naan. Today we will learn how to make dal makhani following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.
Grind ginger, garlic and red chilies together to a smooth paste.
Soak both the dals together for 6-7 hours or overnight.Wash it well, add 3 cups of water, half of the ginger-garlic-red chilli paste, salt, turmeric powder and pressure cook for 5 whistles, then simmer and cook for another 15 minutes. The dal should be soft. Mash it a little with the back of the ladle. Keep it aside.
Now add the remaining ginger-garlic-chilli paste and saute for a few more minutes.
Then add coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, kasuri methi (crush it between your palms and add) mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add tomato puree, butter and cook well until the raw smell of the tomato goes and oil ooze out. (Can you see the change in the color of the tomato puree in the picture below). The tomato puree should be cooked like that.
Now add the cooked dal along with water. Add salt needed. (add less as we have already cooked dal with salt). Cook on low flames for another 15 – 20 minutes until everything gets blended well with the masala.
Dal Makhani-How to make Dal Makhani
Prep Time : 10 mins (excluding soaking time)
Cook Time : 40 mins
Serves: 4
Recipe Category: Side Dish
Recipe Cuisine: Punjabi-Indian
Author:Padhu Sankar
Serves: 4
Recipe Category: Side Dish
Recipe Cuisine: Punjabi-Indian
Author:Padhu Sankar
Ingredients needed
Whole black gram – 1/2 cup
Rajma/Red Kidney beans – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1/2 cup finely chopped
Tomato puree – 1 cup
Butter – 2 tbsp
Salt needed
For grinding
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 6 cloves
Dry red chillies – 2 (soak it in hot water for 15 minutes)
Spice Powder
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Garam masala powder or kitchen king masala – 1 tsp
Kasuri methi – 1 tsp (optional)
Chilli powder – 3/4 – 1 tsp
For the seasoning
Oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds/jeera – 1 tsp
For garnishing
Cream – 2 tbsp (optional)
Coriander leaves finely chopped -2 tbsp
Ginger – 1 inch piece (slivered) –
Preparation
Grind ginger, garlic and red chilies together to a smooth paste.
Soak both the dals together for 6-7 hours or overnight.Wash it well, add 3 cups of water, half of the ginger-garlic-red chilli paste, salt, turmeric powder and pressure cook for 5 whistles, then simmer and cook for another 15 minutes. The dal should be soft. Mash it a little with the back of the ladle. Keep it aside.
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, when it sizzles, add finely chopped onions and saute stirring continuously on medium flame until onions turn golden brown. Add a little salt to speed up the process.
Now add the remaining ginger-garlic-chilli paste and saute for a few more minutes.
Then add coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, kasuri methi (crush it between your palms and add) mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add tomato puree, butter and cook well until the raw smell of the tomato goes and oil ooze out. (Can you see the change in the color of the tomato puree in the picture below). The tomato puree should be cooked like that.
Now add the cooked dal along with water. Add salt needed. (add less as we have already cooked dal with salt). Cook on low flames for another 15 – 20 minutes until everything gets blended well with the masala.
Stir in fresh cream and cook for another 3 minutes.
You can adjust the consistency of the dal by adding hot water if it becomes too thick.
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| close up shot of dal makhani |
Serve delicious Punjabi dal makhani piping hot with any rotis, plain rice, jeera pulao, peas pulao, simple vegetable rice, naan, paratha or ghee rice.
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The dal makhni looks awesome. Very well presented 🙂
looks yummy…
Dal has come out perfect colour and texture.
Hello Padhu,
Looks yumm..:)
Dr.Sameena@
http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com
aah! this looks delicious. I liked the recipe as I have all the ingredients with me. 🙂
I think Punjabi prepare a lot of recipes from dal.
Though we are two people in the house and the recipe is for 4 people… aah we will manage . 😉
Looks so perfect…I will add a big tablespoon of butter to this and have it with hot Roti's …Yummmm…
so very inviting— nice recipe !
I've prepared this only once and had it with lacha paratha … love this combination.
Full of protein, nutritious dal makhani looks simply fabulous..
Looks lovely. Tempted to try it immediately..
i love dal makani
wow yummy yummy dhal makhani dear…. cute little flowers are superb….
Your Dal Makhani look absolutely delicious. Love the spices, and the preparation of the dish. This is certainly a dish I am looking forward to making.
Thank you for your kind comment on my blog…now I'm following you, so I can stay close to your updates!
looks simple n healthy dal!!
yum yum…love it with chappathi…
Dal Makhni..Sounds yumm..
My fav one i can eat this whole without roti itself..yummy and healthy as well.
I never made this,but it is quite interesting dish paddu ji..
Ohh..I love this daal..nice recipe!
US Masala
lovely dal makhani. looks gr8. i love the nice flower decoration with lentils as a background:) awesome:)
dal makhani looks delicious…
yummy,love this one too
Dal Makhani looks delicious Padhu. Nice to have them with roti
give me some roti let me dip it in this…love it..perfect
Biny
Looks awesome..love it
This is my fav too…they look awesome 🙂
Looks creamy and rich!
healthy and yummy…lovely!!
nice recipe! i also make it similarly. luv it with paratha.
Dal makhani looks absolutely delicious. Love those cute flowers 🙂
Nice dal majhani.I always love them with my rice.
nice recipe. i have similar thing in my blog too. do drop by shrunil.blogspot.com
I love to have this…
Looks so tempting….Sure do try it…Thanks for sharing..
my fav one.looks very nice and wonderful presentation
I love Dal Makhani! I will definitely try this, thank you 🙂
This is my favorite 🙂
Dal makhani is absolutely delicious and am craving for a serving or two now 🙂 with some rice .
tempting to eat . sure i will try
Pls collect ur award from my blog!
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Hmmm Looks tempting. You have nice space here.
This dish look mouth-waterig delicious!
awsome…i was amazed by ur presentation…….
I enjoy all your recipes.
Hi Padhu! I'm going to try this recipe out this weekend, with maybe a couple slight changes. Do you mind if I share this on my blog with credit (and a link) to you, of course? Thanks!
Hi Padhu! I tried this recipe and it came out really well. My hubby and boys loved it. Thanks!
Hi, What butter to add n what is the cream which i should ask in stores n which store should i look for this butter n cream. pls advise
Vaishnavi – You can add any unsalted butter. You can use Amul dairy cream or even fresh homemade cream. You can get butter and cream in all supermarkets.I will soon be posting how to make cream and butter at home.
I just returned from three weeks in India and now I love Indian food…especially Dal Makhani, Chana Pindi, and Bhindi Masala. I found your Dal Makhani recipe and am ready to make it except I don't have a pressure cooker. Is there an alternative, if so, can you please tell me what it is, and how long I should cook the dal. Thanks!
FlexGirl – If you do not have a pressure cooker,cook dal and beans in a pan adding enough water, but it will take a long time to get cooked. Cook until soft.
I tried this Dal makhani Recipe And it comes out delicious 🙂
can use urad dal ?
You must use only whole black gram for this recipe.
I made this. OUT OF THE WORLD… SUPER DUPER DELICIOUS… THANKS A TON PADHU. YOU ARE A GREAT COOK.
Its so tempting.. I want to try this.. Pls clarify tat black gram and splited skinned urad dal are different??
Black gram and splited skinned urad dal are the same lentil but difference is in the process. For this recipe, you must use black gram with skin as you can see in the first main picture.
Yeah… Thank u mam …
Hi mam.. iam not able to get whole black urad dal here.. can I use the black split ones
Yes, you can use split ones also though it is not used in traditional dal makhani.
Hi mam..
Can I replace fresh cream with coconut milk
This is a Punjabi recipe in which only fresh cream is added. But if you like to add coconut milk, you can add. That will also taste good.
Hi mam, can we use broken black gram for this instead of whole?
Yes, you can.
I prepare dal makhni following this very recipe always and it turns out very tasty every time. It is lovely and very simple. Thank you Padhu. Always a fan of your recipes.