Dal Makhani, a popular Indian dal recipe is also known as maa ki dal, as I discovered recently. This is my least favourite dal dish to order in a restaurant and I am yet to eat a good dal makhani in any restaurant except maybe Sahib Sindh Sultan who does do a pretty good dal makhani that even I can agree to order sometimes. Note: Check out another version of dal makhani recipe here.
Ironically, my mom doesn’t cook this so this isn’t really maa ki dal to me. We are South Indians for whom dal doesn’t form part of a typical meal and though amma cooks an occasional rajma masala or paneer tikka masala, dal makhani is too foreign to us and never really occurred to her to try and cook, I guess.
Her daughter, obviously, loves to take on more than she can chew sometimes (literally!) and takes pleasure in experimenting on never-before-cooked recipes especially when she has guests. I most often mess up on my most tried and tested recipes when I have guests (is it the pressure or is it the expected behaviour, I can never tell).
Anyway, dal makhani has been on the back of my head forever and I recently got a bag of whole black lentils (whole black urad dal) and I decided to try it on an evening we had a young North Indian couple. Brave, aren’t I? 😉
This is a milder version of the dish as I was serving it with spiced up vegetable pulao. I also avoided the cream that is usually an essential ingredient for this recipe.
Dal Makhani Recipe
(Serves 4)Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole ural dal (black lentils), soaked overnight
4 tbsp rajma (red kidney beans), soaked overnight with the dal
1 onion, chopped fine
1 tomato, chopped fine
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
2 dried red chillies
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
SaltHow to make Dal Makhani:
1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and saute onions till transparent. Add salt, chilly powder and the ginger-garlic pasted and fry for a minute.
2. Next, add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes so that the mixture combines well together. Add the lentils and beans, and enough water to just cover them. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Remove from fire and set aside.
3. Once the pressure leaves the cooker, keep it on a low fire. Add the milk and bring to boil. Keep it on sim and let it boil while preparing to temper it.
4. Heat the butter and oil in a pan and throw in the cumin seeds. Once they start spluttering, add the chopped garlic and the red chillies each torn into 3 pieces. Fry until the garlic starts browning and smelling lovely.
5. Remove the dal from fire and add the tempered butter-oil directly to it. Follow immediately with garam masala and mix well. Adjust salt.
Serve with warm rotis, naan or an easy veg pulao.
Unknown says
December 28, 2012 at 11:11 amTry at Haldiram's (New Delhi) if you get chance… its fab….
Nags says
April 1, 2011 at 1:19 amHey there anonymous! I have indeed mentioned where it needs to be added – in the pressure cooker in step 2. You can soak the lentils overnight, what's what I usually do.
Anonymous says
March 31, 2011 at 11:42 pmI a, sorry to say, but in your steps ypu never mentioned when and where the Dal has to be used.
1. If it has to be soaked – how many hours?
2. Cook it – when?
Please clarify..
Regards.
khushi says
January 20, 2011 at 3:18 pmlove to eat dal makhni. nice recipe. try this too:
http://yummyfood-khusi.blogspot.com/2011/01/dal-makhni-recipe-maa-ki-daal.html
MeetaK says
April 1, 2010 at 1:32 pmi always loved creamy dal! You have to try my ma di dal (recipe on blog) I am sure you will like it as it really is from my maa! Is it really such a food border south and north? i know the food is very different but being north indian i know my family eat a lot of south indian food!
Rahul says
April 1, 2010 at 1:32 pmHi! Your recipe looks delicious and I'd love to try it out. I'm just a little confused about how you fry something in the pressure cooker and how you add milk to it and then boil it. I'm a complete beginner cook so any advice is appreciated: my pressure cooker is the standard Indian type with the whistle and seals shut. I only have two steel vessels that go in it but are too thin to cook directly over the gas. Would it be fine to do steps 1 and 2 in a pan or pot and then transfer stuff into the pressure cooker? Thanks!
Anonymous says
February 5, 2010 at 2:56 amvery very high in iron so a great recipe for veggies. thanks
Nags says
January 14, 2010 at 1:45 amSophie, you can wash the lentils and cook it half-covered until soft. it will take atleast 45 mins and up to an hour or so.
Sophie says
January 13, 2010 at 6:21 pmThis looks like a fantastic recipe, I really want to try it but I don't have a pressure cooker… how would i modify it to cook it in a normal saucepan? Cheers!
Nags says
December 9, 2009 at 1:11 amhehe thanks Sri. Yeah, the dal makhani recipe is quite popular. I am planning version 2 – dal makhani recipe very soon, so stay tuned!
Sri L says
December 9, 2009 at 1:09 amDude, you came in #2 for my search for Dal Makhani!! I am kicked! I feel like you're a celebrity 🙂
Nags says
December 6, 2009 at 1:11 amHi Rahul. You can fry the stuff directly in the pressure cooker pan without placing another vessel inside, just like using a kadai. After that, add the other ingredients and pressure cook as normal directly in the pan. Hope this makes sense.
Rahul says
December 6, 2009 at 12:42 amHi! Your recipe looks delicious and I'd love to try it out. I'm just a little confused about how you fry something in the pressure cooker and how you add milk to it and then boil it. I'm a complete beginner cook so any advice is appreciated: my pressure cooker is the standard Indian type with the whistle and seals shut. I only have two steel vessels that go in it but are too thin to cook directly over the gas. Would it be fine to do steps 1 and 2 in a pan or pot and then transfer stuff into the pressure cooker? Thanks!
Nags says
November 28, 2009 at 1:30 amjaaji, yes, this is just a slight variation from the usual dal makhani recipe. I don't think it actually resembles sambar though 🙂 will post the more popular dal makhani variation soon!
jaaji says
November 27, 2009 at 9:09 pmThe method seems to be a take on the sambhar methodology..I would stick to the original method and add the cream to get the real flavor.
Nags says
November 13, 2009 at 2:42 amThanks a ton Anon 🙂 I am working on a version 2 where the colour is more deeper and brown like we see usually for dal makhani. This time, I don't know why I didn't get that colour that I usually get for dal makhani.
Anonymous says
November 13, 2009 at 2:41 amI tried this after a long day…and I am still licking my fingers! Thanks so much for a easy and delicious recipe!
Susan says
March 7, 2009 at 6:53 pmA beautiful dish, Nags – a tempting sight for empty bellies. Would love to sample this great home recipe!
Thanks for joining in MLLA8! Round-up coming in next few days.
Shreya says
February 28, 2009 at 9:12 amhi Nags, I love Dal Makhni, though I have never added milk:D in my version. I usually add abt 2 tbsp of thick yogurt/ cream to the recipe. My daughter loves Dal makhni, and that is the reason I started making it at home. It features on the menu once a week, and she loves it with rice as well as puris. And, I can soooo relate to messing up on my best recipes the very day I have guests!:-(
Madhumathi says
February 28, 2009 at 7:49 amDal Makhani is in my mind too…I haven’t tried it so far..
You Dal makhani looks creamy and delicious..Nice pic 🙂
Now I badly wanted to try it..
Bharti says
February 27, 2009 at 11:49 pmThis is my go to dal for indulgence. It just seems so much more sophisticated than the other dals. I don’t make it regularly but keep it for special occasions. Yummy!
Priya says
February 27, 2009 at 9:40 pmYet to try this dal..looks rich n very creamy…
Divya Vikram says
February 27, 2009 at 7:18 pmI have been waiting to try this recipe for a long time. Looks rich and creamy nags.
Varsha Vipins says
February 27, 2009 at 6:15 pmI have never liked it much too..dont like that too much buttery taste..but yeah I made it once here,with Moong dal n tasted good..Thick cream gives some more cream flavor to the dish..:)
Manasi says
February 27, 2009 at 6:06 pmI too had never tasted Maa ki daal as a child .. the same thing..too North Indian.. but I love it, I have a shortcut version on my blog too!
Preety says
February 27, 2009 at 4:46 pmi love dal makhni may be because i am from Punjab and this is the specialty there that you can easily find in any restaurants..yours is totally different recipe than mine..i boil the dal and then mix that into the tadka..
Alka says
February 27, 2009 at 3:42 pmI agree with u when u say that under pressure we just mess up things more….I always tend to do so,in my anxiety to make more and more variety and quantity,i end up feeling frustrated,tired and messy.And most of the time if i tell people before cooking that i am gonna try a particular new dish,i feel assured that i am heading to yet another culinary disaster…..lol..
Well my family loves this dal makhani,though the recipe i follow is way too different from urs,and i dont add any butter or cream.Its just that if you follow slow cooking method(just let it simmer for about 30 minutes )it will turn out to be creamy sans any Fat
Sakshi says
February 27, 2009 at 3:31 pmIt’s one of my fave north indian recipes and the easiest too. Am unfortunately a mallu who knows to cook more north indian food than south indian coz my north indian hubby is the one who introduced me to the working area of the kitchen. Thanks to you all food bloggers am learning to master the art of south indian recipes too. Hats off to u!!!
Asha says
February 27, 2009 at 12:59 pmI know! Most of our southie moms do not experiment much about other cuisine. My mom made one Greenpeas Korma North Indian style and that’s about it! ;D
We younger generation are much more experimental and it’s great to taste other cuisines even though nobody can beat mom’s tasty south Indian cooking! :))
I love Dal Makhani too, looks great there. Glad you are not scared to add butter which makes it real Makhnai indeed. Good one. Hugs, have a great weekend.
Ann says
February 27, 2009 at 12:14 pmDal Makhani looks unique..i love to experiment this since am sure this is my kinda taste..Looks awesome and spicy even though you have omitted the cream part..(yes you are truly brave..I cant attempt like this for sure)
Sonu says
February 27, 2009 at 11:38 amhey Nags, nice and diff color of Dal Makhani.
Please check out your another blog…I have asked you for help.
Thanks.
Kitchen Flavours says
February 27, 2009 at 10:52 amWow droolworthy….Never tasted this before. Bookmarked will try this sometime soon.
Dhruv Shanker says
February 27, 2009 at 8:24 amI love Dal Makhani.. I remember making this the rustic way when I was back in college.. I cooked it in an earthen pot overnight on coals on my terrace..
Kept stirring it and adding pats of butter occasionally.. It was pretty thick and potent by morning, but it tasted simply fantastic..
Thanks for posting your recipe. Cheers!
Nags says
February 27, 2009 at 8:15 amMeeta – I checked out your recipe, will surely try it next time 🙂
I would say there is quite a food border between North and South India. Again, it depends on the family and their tolerance to ‘foreign’ food. My mom was more into baking and experimenting there so she didn’t experiment too much with North Indian dishes beyond rajma and paneer and stuff. This she definitely didn’t make. Not that we have anything against it, it just doesnt occur to us 🙂
She makes a mean channa batura though.
MeetaK says
February 27, 2009 at 8:10 ami always loved creamy dal! You have to try my ma di dal (recipe on blog) I am sure you will like it as it really is from my maa! Is it really such a food border south and north? i know the food is very different but being north indian i know my family eat a lot of south indian food!
RAKS KITCHEN says
February 27, 2009 at 7:10 amThe first two paragraphs are ditto for me too!
I hated dhal makhani when I first tasted it in some restaurant(south Indian),as they served it as one of the default side for Naan(I think)…
But when I tasted in a better north Indian one,I really loved the creamy taste! And once I tasted in my North Indian friend’s home too,I liked very much!
Still I dont make this often coz,as my family dont have much love towards it,and y I should try to put on more weight?!:D
even without cream,this colour has come out great for your dish!! Hope your guests had a great time 🙂