Dal Makhani

Dal makhani is the rich, velvety black lentil dish from Punjab that restaurants simmer for hours. Whole black urad dal and a handful of kidney beans are cooked until soft, then slowly simmered with butter, tomato, ginger and garlic, and finished with cream. A pressure cooker or Instant Pot does the long cooking for you, and like most slow-cooked dishes, it tastes even better the next day.

Dal Makhani

Creamy, buttery Punjabi black lentils and kidney beans simmered with tomato, ginger and garlic. Made easier with a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Soaking 8 hours hrs

Total Time 9 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 0.75 cup whole black urad dal 150 g, also sold as whole black gram or black lentils
• 2 tbsp dried kidney beans or 1/2 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed, added later
• 4 cups water 1 litre, for cooking
• 1 tsp salt for cooking the dal
• 3 tbsp butter 45 g, divided
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small onion finely chopped, optional
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 cup tomato puree 240 ml
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or paprika
• 0.5 tsp garam masala
• 0.5 tsp salt or to taste
• 0.33 cup heavy cream 80 ml, plus extra to serve
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) optional

Equipment

• 1 Pressure cooker, Instant Pot or heavy pot
• 1 Large pan

Method

 

1. Rinse the urad dal and kidney beans, cover with plenty of water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. Pressure cooker: cook the dal and beans with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt for 30 minutes on high pressure (about 8 to 10 whistles), then let the pressure release naturally. Stovetop: simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, adding water as needed. The lentils should be completely soft and mash easily.
3. Lightly mash about a quarter of the lentils against the side of the pot to make it creamy.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle, then add the onion (if using) and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the tomato puree, chilli powder and salt. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until thick and the butter starts to separate at the edges.
6. Add the cooked lentils with their liquid (and the canned beans, if using). Simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often and adding hot water if it gets too thick. The longer it simmers, the creamier it gets.
7. Stir in the cream, garam masala, kasuri methi and the last tablespoon of butter. Serve with a swirl of cream on top.

Notes

Serve with: jeera rice, basmati rice or garlic naan.

Make ahead: keeps in the fridge for 4 days and freezes for up to 3 months. It thickens as it cools; loosen with a splash of hot water when reheating.

Kidney bean safety: dried kidney beans must be soaked and boiled until completely soft. If in doubt, use canned kidney beans instead.

Outside India: whole black urad dal is sold in Indian grocery stores and online, often as “black gram whole”. Do not use split or skinned urad dal for this recipe.

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