Dal Makhni

This is one of my all time favourite recipes. This is best had with plain jeera rice and green chillies. This dal is a little elaborate to make but the end result is awesome! The more it is cooked on dum, the better it tastes.

Prep Time: 8 hrs

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Black urad dal

• 2 tbsp Rajma

• Salt, to taste

• 4 Red chillies

• 2 tbsp Besan

• 1 inch Ginger

• 3 Garlic

• 1 tbsp Ghee

• 4 tbsp Butter

• 2 tsps Garam masala

• 2 tsps coriander powder

• 4 Tomatoes

• 1/2 cup Milk

Instructions

1. Soak the urad and rajma overnight

2. Puree the tomatoes

3. Soak the red chillies in hot water for half an hour and make a paste of the red chillies, ginger and garlic

4. In a pressure cooker put half the red chillies garlic paste and 1 tbsp ghee and cook for 5-6 whistles

5. Once the dals are cooked, add the milk and mash the dal well. Keep aside

6. In the same pressure cooker, add butter and add the other half red chillies garlic paste

7. Add the besan and saute for around 5 minutes till the raw smell goes away

8. Add the tomato puree and saute till the water almost dries up and the raw smell of the tomatoes go away

9. Add the coriander powder, garam masala, salt and saute for 5 minutes

10. Add the cooked dals and cook on low flame for half an hour. If needed add water as it tends to get thicker when cool

Notes

You can get the burnt restaurant style aroma in the dal by following this method:

• Add a piece of coal on the gas flame for 5-7 minutes till it gets burning hot and red

• Place a cup in the dal and place the hot burning coal and add 1 tsp of ghee on it

• Immediately cover the pan with a lid and let the fumes of the coal get infused in the dal

• Remove the cup, throw the coal away and serve the dal hot with rotis