Over the years I have come to realize that if there were one dish, I had to choose from the North Indian food fare to eat for the most part of my life it would be dal makhni. If there is dal makhni I need nothing else apart from naan/roti to go along with it and I am in a happy space. I’ve tried making dal Makhni recipes from a lot of sources, but nothing comes close to a well-cooked creamy dal makhni. One day I happened to have dal makhni at a very good friends place who happens to be a Punjabi and I knew I had hit the jackpot. I instantly asked her mother to share the recipe with me and since then there has been no looking back. This dal makhani is cooked over slow flame for a long time and has the prefect rustic taste of Punjab. It’s made without an iota of cream unlike the dal makhanis available at restaurants but loaded with butter and ghee which helps in digesting this wonderful dal. Do not eliminate the whole bulb of garlic which goes into making of this dal, trust me you won’t even taste it once it has been cooked for 3-4 hours, but this is what gives it the characteristic flavor, and this one is very very easy to cook with no fine chopping and sautéing. You can dunk everything in and put it over the flame and forget about it. Do give it a try the next time you have guests over or for the simple joy of cooking something wonderful.
Wash and soak below for 7-8 hours:
175 grams of urad dal
25 grams of rajma
Rinse them in the morning with fresh water.
Incase u have forgotten to soak, you can go ahead with the same recipe with un soaked dal and rajma.
Add soaked/unsoaked:
dal and rajma to a pressure cooker with enough water to come 5 inches above the dal.
+ 4 tablespoon of mustard oil to it.
Grind together roughly chopped:
1 small onion-skin removed
2 large tomatoes
1 green chilli
1 full bulb of garlic - skin removed
(should form a fine smooth paste)
+ above paste it to the dal in the pressure cooker.
Pressure cook this for 45 minutes by the clock.
Cook on a high flame until the first whistle and then lower the flame.
After 45 minutes let the pressure die down and transfer this dal to a heavy bottom pan.
(Heavy bottom is absolutely necessary, as you would be slow cooking the dal for 3-4 hours).
To the pressure cooked dal add:
+. 4 green cardamoms
+ 1 black cardamom
+ 1 bay leaf
+ 4 cloves
+ 1 inch cinnamon stick.
Cook the dal until it boils and then lower the flame for slow cooking.
Slow cook it for an hour making sure there is enough water.
After the dal has been cooked for an hour add:
+ 100 grams butter
Cook for another 2-3 hours.
All this while make sure to stir the dal at regular intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom. Make sure there is enough water in the dal.
We are looking at a consistency which is medium thick towards the thickish side.
Add:
+ 2 teaspoon salt
+ 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
+ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Mix well and cook for another 10 minutes.
Just before serving make a tempering.
Heat 40 grams ghee in a pan. When hot add
+ 2 whole dry red chilies.
Once the chillies change colour switch off the flame, add:
+ 2 teaspoon kasuri methi
+ 4 tablespoon coriander leaves,
Leave it aside for 30 seconds and then pour over the slow cooked dal.
You creamy dreamy Amritsari dal makhni is ready.
You can serve it along steamed rice or naan or chapati or tandoori roti.
P.S. The secret to a creamy dal is in the numbers of hours you cook it on the flame. The more you cook, the creamier it would get
Ingredients
Directions
Wash and soak below for 7-8 hours:
175 grams of urad dal
25 grams of rajma
Rinse them in the morning with fresh water.
Incase u have forgotten to soak, you can go ahead with the same recipe with un soaked dal and rajma.
Add soaked/unsoaked:
dal and rajma to a pressure cooker with enough water to come 5 inches above the dal.
+ 4 tablespoon of mustard oil to it.
Grind together roughly chopped:
1 small onion-skin removed
2 large tomatoes
1 green chilli
1 full bulb of garlic - skin removed
(should form a fine smooth paste)
+ above paste it to the dal in the pressure cooker.
Pressure cook this for 45 minutes by the clock.
Cook on a high flame until the first whistle and then lower the flame.
After 45 minutes let the pressure die down and transfer this dal to a heavy bottom pan.
(Heavy bottom is absolutely necessary, as you would be slow cooking the dal for 3-4 hours).
To the pressure cooked dal add:
+. 4 green cardamoms
+ 1 black cardamom
+ 1 bay leaf
+ 4 cloves
+ 1 inch cinnamon stick.
Cook the dal until it boils and then lower the flame for slow cooking.
Slow cook it for an hour making sure there is enough water.
After the dal has been cooked for an hour add:
+ 100 grams butter
Cook for another 2-3 hours.
All this while make sure to stir the dal at regular intervals so that it does not stick to the bottom. Make sure there is enough water in the dal.
We are looking at a consistency which is medium thick towards the thickish side.
Add:
+ 2 teaspoon salt
+ 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
+ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Mix well and cook for another 10 minutes.
Just before serving make a tempering.
Heat 40 grams ghee in a pan. When hot add
+ 2 whole dry red chilies.
Once the chillies change colour switch off the flame, add:
+ 2 teaspoon kasuri methi
+ 4 tablespoon coriander leaves,
Leave it aside for 30 seconds and then pour over the slow cooked dal.
You creamy dreamy Amritsari dal makhni is ready.
You can serve it along steamed rice or naan or chapati or tandoori roti.
P.S. The secret to a creamy dal is in the numbers of hours you cook it on the flame. The more you cook, the creamier it would get