Make this delicious, restaurant-style Punjabi Dal makhani at home with everyday masalas and simple ingredients. It tastes absolutely amazing and your whole family will love it. 

 

 

You can have it as it is or choose to smoke it with some hot coal. The coal ads even more flavour to the dish. The trick is to cook the tomatoes and masala well and also slow cook the dal for 20-30 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Make sure the dal you use is of good quality, it’s soaked properly and pressure cooked until nice and mushy. 

Be generous in using butter, ghee and cream as that is what makes it even tastier. 

This restaurant-style easy dal makhani recipe serves 3-4 people. 

Ingredients for Dal Makhani : 

1) 2 cups whole black urad dal (whole black gram) 

2) 1 cup red kidney beans (rajma) 

3) 4-5 tsp ghee 

4) 4-5 cups of water to cook the daal (approx) and some water to be added later

5) 4-5 tsp butter (I use Amul butter) 

6) 2 tsp garlic paste (6-7 cloves of garlic) 

7) 2 tsp ginger paste (1-inch ginger) 

8) 1 tsp green chilli paste 

9) 1 tbsp jeera (use shaahi jeera if available for better flavour) 

10) 3 tomatoes (puréed into a fine paste) 

11) 2 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 

12) 2 tbsp coriander powder 

13) 1 tbsp roasted jeera powder (cumin powder) 

14) 2 tsp garam masala powder 

15) 1 tsp sugar 

16) 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves) 

17) 5-6 tsp freshly chopped coriander leaves (with some stems) 

18) Salt to taste 

19) 4-5 tbsp fresh cream (Used Amul fresh cream) 

20) Coal for giving it some extra flavour (optional) 

Method for making Daal Makhani : 

1) Wash and soak the black urad dal and rajma in double the water overnight or at least for 6-7 hours. After soaking, wash and rinse. Pressure cook with a pinch of salt, a tbsp of ghee and double the water for 10-12 whistles or until nice and mushy. Keep the cooker flame medium. Let it depressurise. 

The daal and rajma should break once you touch it. Strain off some water and keep some aside for adding later. 

2) In a kadhai, heat ghee and butter (approx 4 tsp ghee and 2 tsp butter). Once it’s hot, add the jeera, green chilli paste, garlic paste and ginger paste. Sauté on low flame for 2-3 mins. 

3) Now add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, jeera powder, salt, sugar and mix well.

Add the tomato purée and mix well. Keep stirring and cook until the ghee and butter leave sides and the tomatoes are properly cooked for 5-6 mins minimum. The flame should be low to medium. 

4) Now add another tsp of butter followed by the Kasuri methi and some coriander leaves. Mix well. 

5) Add the cooked dals with around 1.5-2 cups of the leftover daal water and mix well. Keep mixing and cooking for 10-15 mins on a low flame. Here add 3-4 tbsp of the fresh cream and mix in gently. Cover the whole daal and cook for at least 25-30 mins in all on a low flame, stirring intermittently. 

It’s important to slow cook the daal as this is when flavours are absorbed. 

6) At this stage, you can turn off the flame and serve the dal makhani or you can smoke with hot coal for added flavour. For this process heat a piece of coal on a low flame until it’s very hot. Place in a bowl which is placed over the daal. Add a tsp of ghee and cover immediately to let the daal absorb the smoked coal flavour. Keep it as it is for 10 mins. Flame off. 

7) Remove the coal bowl and mix the daal. Serve warm and top with a dollop of butter, some fresh cream and coriander leaves. Serve with warm jeera rice/naans. 

Our restaurant-style Daal makhani is ready! 

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