Thursday, November 15, 2007

Daal Makhani

Updated on 11/25 for 'Think Spice - Think Ginger'

Daal makhani, better known as Kaali daal (black lentils, literally) to me has always been a favorite. It features on the menus of almost all North Indian restaurants, I think it's a place well deserved :)

This is a very simple and easy recipe for daal makhani. Does not require too many ingredients and is one of those things where you can taste every single ingredient :) I normally don't use any butter/creme to make it. I believe correctly cooking the daals is the key to its texture.

Ingredients(Serves 4):
1. 1 Cup Urad daal (whole black gram, not the split one)
2. 1/4th Cup Rajma (red kidney beans)
3. 1/4th Cup Chana daal (split bengal gram)
4. About 1 Tbsp ginger juliennes
5. 2 tomatoes chopped
7. 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped fine
6. 2 Tbsp ghee
7. 2 tsp cumin seeds
8. Red chilli powder and salt to taste
9. A few dry red chillies
10. A big pinch of asafoetida

Method:
1. Wash urad daal, chana daal and rajma well, mix them and soak overnight(about 8 hrs) in lots of water.
2. Add salt to taste and pressure cook the soaked daals. I put the cooker on high flame and after first whistle lower the flame to medium-low. Let it cook for about 5-6 more whistles. There should be enough water or the daal will burn due to the long cooking time.
3. Once the cooker cools down, mix the daals well with a ladle, urad daal should be very soft , chana daal should almost dissolve, rajma will be as it is. This is how you get the creamy consistency, long cooking time is the key. If you can see the water separated from the urad daal, you probably need to cook for one more whistle.
4. Then add ginger juliennes (more the better, but depends on your love for ginger).
5. Now for tempering/tadka - heat ghee (or butter), add hing (asafoetida), cumin, dry red chillies and chopped garlic.
6. Fry a little and then add tomatoes.
7. Once tomatoes are soft, add some red chilli powder and then add the daal. Let it simmer for a while (10 mins or so on medium heat).



If you want you can add more butter/creme at the end. Its up to you how rich you want to make it. Since my mom makes it very frequently, she doesn't add any
butter/creme. Garnish with creme/butter and fresh cilantro.

Serve with parathas/naan/jeera rice and don't forget to serve some onions soaked in lime/vinegar (and salt) on the side :) Baingan ka bharta goes hand in hand with this daal. It tastes best the next day with fresh, crisp parathas.



Thoughtful Bee of Jugalbandi suggested that I send this as an entry to Sunita's (of Sunita's World) 'Think Spice' event. The theme this month is 'Ginger', a spice I love. A ginger relish made with lemon juice, green chillies and salt used to be a regular feature on our dining table in my parents home (talented Passionate Baker made it for this event :)). Another favorite is adu-limbu nu sharbat or ginger lemonade. Parthiv and I love it during the summer! And of course cannot fail to mention the importance of ginger tea, the comfort of tea combined with therapeutic ginger fills you up with warmth and soothes sore throats. My favorite mix is grated ginger mixed with black cardmom powder, a pinch of black pepper and honey. This used to be my mom's home made remedy for sore throat and cough.

Coming back to daal-makhani, this is one of those recipes where my love for ginger is quite evident. Ginger juliennes are added raw after the daal has been pressure cooked. It brings out the flavor of the ginger and I love all the spoonfuls that have a little gingery crunch in them!


So with thanks to Bee and Sunita, this post is off to Sunita's 'Think Spice - Think Ginger' event.

23 comments:

Sia said...

oh yes, dal makhani is one of my fav mainly coz of its simplicity. i usually simmer dal in tadka for atleast 30 mins so that the flavours blend well and its creamy, melt in mouth. i can give u anything for that bowl of dal makhani :D deal??? ;)

Rajitha said...

i have bookmarked this recipe..coz i still have not been able to get the yummy dal you get in some plcs..urs looks really really good

FH said...

Love Dal Makhani, like the earthy taste of Black Urad , looks yummy S!:))

Finla said...

When i saw the recipie first thing i did was bookmarking it and then i clicked on to comment and saw rajitha also have bookmarked it.
Looks delicious.

TBC said...

That looks very rich and creamy.

Seema Bhat said...

Dal Makhani is one of the most comforting food ever right? I love the second picture.

bee said...

this would be a great entry for Think Spice: Ginger at Sunita's World.

remya said...

lovely rich n yumm daal makhani...love to have with nan...i was searching this recipe for long...finally got this recipe here...thanku dear...

Rina said...

Hi swheta, That Dal makhani looks gr8. I came to your blog from Pravs. Happy to be here. DAl makhani is such a famous dish. But I've never tasted nor tried it.

musical said...

I love kaali daal too :). Best with some plain phulkas, aha! bliss :). You know what, i think our tastes are very similar :).

cheers and have a great weekend,
musical.

Anonymous said...

This looks better than any restaurant could ever make. I would like to dip a spoon in that second photo especially! I think I'll try this for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing the secret! :)

Richa said...

vadhiya ji :)
i always make a big batch of this dal, tastes so good the next day :)

Shella said...

Hey am new to your blog & the firs recipe I see makes me drool. Daal makhani is my fav. N I guess everybody has their versions

Shweta said...

Sia,
All you have to do is visit me, and its a DEAL! :)

Rajitha,
I really really really hope it turns out well for you!

Ashaji,
I love that earthy taste too, and that is exactly why I think it goes well with smoky baingan bharta :)

Happy cook,
I hope you do try it, and I really hope it turns out they way you want it to :)

TBC,
Thanks :) It is really creamy!

Seema,
It indeed is! I love it with parathas and with home-made tandoori rotis. Thanks for dropping by :)

Bee,
Thanks for 'thinking spice' for me :) I will update the post to reflect my love for ginger a little bit more and then send it over to Sunita!

Remya,
Thanks for dropping by! I hope you try it out some day!

Rina,
Welcome :) And thanks for leaving a comment! You should try it out, may be in a restaurant first and then see if you like it as much as I do (I hope you do!) :)

Musy dear, We must have something common in our taste-buds, ha ha! Garam fulkas and daal, wow wow wow! I forgot to mention how good it tastes with home-made tandoori rotis (made on gas tandoor) :)

Shweta said...

Linda,
Welcome :) I will be honored if you try it for something as important as Thanksgiving! I was just discussing with my mom to decide on my entry for JFI-Toor daal :)

Richa,
Thank you ji :) Yea, next day is the best!

Shella,
Thanks so much for dropping by and for your comment :) Yes, daal makhani must have 50 different versions and they all taste so good!

Anonymous said...

Looks Yummy Shweta ! Dal Makhni is my fav! Ur method is quite diff, but i'm gonna try it as its sooo irresistable :-) Thnx for sharing the recipe

www.monaafzal.wordpress.com

sra said...

Hi Shweta, have tried to answer your question on my blog - pls take a look when you have the time

Deeba PAB said...

For heavens sake Shweta...how good does your daal look. WOW!! It tastes even better the next day...u got me drooling, my dear! I was here to check out the Meme...

sunita said...

Shweta,that is one seriously good looking bowl of dal makhni...I'm so glad you sent it over...thanks.

Anonymous said...

it looks perfect, i was in search of dal makhni so long, is the whole black urad dal is with skin or without skin, i mean to ask you is the whole urad dal is white or black in colour pls clarify my dooubt, i need to prepare this plssssss

Shweta said...

Whole urad is with skin and black in color. Make sure you use the whole lentil and not the split one. If you try out the recipe I would love to hear your feedback :)

Uj said...

Love Dal makhani :)your looks perfect

Manoj said...

Its 2014 and the your recipe still rocks. Being an Indian guy in Aussieland, I can say after following your recipe for Daal Makhani - my home smelled like India for the entire day. Thanks for the nostalgia.