Dal Makhani

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I might be overdoing my fetish with weather a little much but if you have gone through 4 months of winter cooped up inside the house you will understand me. It’s a sunny morning with chirping birds, asphalt glistening after being washed in yesterday’s rain. Everything looks watered, cleaned, afresh and I am going out today. Ooooh! Love it!

My going out and having a little walk may also be a little more of a necessity than just smelling the flowers and watching the blue, blue sky. The rich mughlai food I have been indulging in. After gorging on Malai Kofta here is dal makhani for you, a splendid dish with rotis. It tastes good with rice or pulav but I love it best with plain rotis. No butter. No oil. I am talking about the roti. However, the dal makhani (translated as is, lentil in butter) as the name suggests is loaded with fat. Creamy with taste of beans, peas and lentils the dish is a must try.

Ingredients:

Black gram (Urad whole) – 1 cup
Split chick pea – ¼ cup
Rajma – ¼ cup
Cumin – 1 tspn
Ginger – 1 tspn
Garlic – 1 tbspn
Chilip powder – 1 tbspn
Coriander powder – 1 tspn
Garam Masala – 1 tspn
Tomato paste – 2 tbspn
Kasturi Methi – 1 tspn
Cilantro – for garnishing
Butter – ¼ cup
Fresh cream – ½ cup

Method:
1. Soak all three beans, lentils and peas overnight or at least 6 hours before you cook
2. Pressure cook or slow cook with enough water till done. I pressure cook it on high waiting for the first whistle turn the heat to medium and wait for 2 more whistles
3. In 2 Tbspn of oil splutter the cumin seeds, add ginger, garlic and onions sauteeing after each addition

4. Add all the powders like chilli, coriander and last garam masala and sauite till the raw smell is gone

5. Add tomato puree of 2 big tomatoes or 2 tbspn paste and sauté

6. Add the water from the cooked dal and get it to boil and add the butter
7. When all of the liquid boils and mixes in add the dal , stir in and let it heat through

8. The dal has a thick consistency but make sure you do all addition of water before you add the dal

9. Once you have the desired consistency of gravy and dal has heated through add the fresh cream and stir in

10. Powder kasturi methi between your palms and add atop

11. Garnish with coriander leaves and a scoop of butter and serve it hot with rotis or rice.

Contributor: Sunitha