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side top shot of dal makhani in a traditional Indian bowl
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5 from 2 votes

Dal Makhani Recipe

Dal Makhani is a vegetarian lentil recipe. I am sharing an Indian restaurant-style makhani dal recipe with a perfectly creamy texture.
Prep Time5 hours
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time5 hours 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4
Calories: 509kcal
Author: Hina Gujral

Equipment

Ingredients

Ingredients For Pressure Cooking

  • 1 Cup (200 gram) whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
  • ¼ Cup (50 gram) red kidney beans (rajma)
  • ¼ Cup (50 gram) Bengal gram (chana dal)
  • 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
  • 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
  • 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
  • 4 cloves (laung)
  • 6 Cup (1.4 litre) water

Ingredients For Tadka

  • 4 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1 Cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (see recipe)
  • 1 Cup finely chopped tomato
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato ketchup
  • 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala powder (see recipe)
  • 4 tablespoon light cooking cream
  • 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
  • 2 green chillies, sliced

Ingredients For Garnish

  • 1 tablespoon light cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

Instructions

  • Combine all three lentils in a bowl. Rinse them with water 2 – 3 times or until water runs clear. Soak them in clean water for 5 – 6 hours or overnight.

Pressure Cook Dal (lentils):

  • Transfer soaked lentils to a pressure cooker. Add salt, cardamom, bay leaf, cloves, asafoetida, and 4 cups of water. Stir to combine. Pressure Cook lentils over low for 5 – 6 whistles. We want them to break down completely. Allow the steam to release naturally.
  • Open the lid and gently mash the dal using the back of the spoon or a vegetable masher.

Prepare Tadka For Dal:

  • Heat ghee in a kadhai or heavy-duty casserole. Add cumin, and saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Add finely chopped onion and fry till onion turn light golden.
  • Once the onion is nicely fried, add ginger and garlic paste, chopped tomato, salt, turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder. Fry for 5 – 6 minutes over low heat. The oil should start separating from the masala, and the tomatoes break down completely.
  • Add tomato paste or ketchup and pressure-cooked dal. Stir to combine. At this stage, if you feel the dal is way too thick, get desired consistency by adding the remaining 2 cups of water, as after simmering, it tends to become thicker.
  • Add cream, Garam Masala powder, kasuri methi, sliced green chillies, julienned ginger, and fresh coriander. Mix nicely. Taste, and if required, add more salt and seasoning.
  • Now allow the dal to simmer over low heat, stirring at regular intervals for 10 – 15 minutes. This step gives a deep, slow-cooked-like flavour to the dal.
  • Transfer the Dal Makhani to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and cream (optional). You can use ginger and green chilli slices as well for garnishing. Add a dollop of butter on top before serving.
  • Serve Dal Makhani warm with Naan.

Notes

  • Dal Makhani can also be prepared in a slow - cooker or instant pot. You can find detailed instant pot dal makhani recipe in my debut cookbook.
  • Get the desired consistency of dal makhani by adjusting the amount of water.
  • While soaking the lentils, use a bigger bowl and add enough water because lentils absorb all the water and expand in size during the process. 

Nutrition

Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 1321mg | Potassium: 316mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 964IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 7mg