Dal Makhani - Restaurant Style Recipe

vegetarianindianbeans & grainslunchdinnerlentil recipes

Jul 27

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**Dal Makhani**, also known as "maa ki dal," is one of the most popular lentils dishes in most North Indian restaurants and loved by all. Incredibly easy restaurant style recipe.

Long before I started having chicken or anything non-vegetarian, Dal Makhani and Paneer Makhani were my all time favourite dishes. Dal makhani is lovingly called maa ki dal (mother’s lentils), which to be honest, I don’t know why? Since my mom never made it like the restaurant. This may sound bad, but it’s true!

My interpretation is that it is called so because it is the mother of all lentils, which is why we enjoy this dish on any and all special occasions. Because of how rare it was for us to enjoy restaurant foods, I wanted my dal to be perfect, which meant I stuck with what I knew was good - by the way, nothing beats Delhi’s Dal Makhani.

This standard I had set for myself is what I used to compare all other variations of this dal with. This recipe is long time coming and is the best one yet! I have also adapted this recipe to an even easier Instant Pot recipe, check it out here.

What Makes This Dal Makhani Recipe Great?

This recipe for dal makhani is:

Creamy and velvety gravy
Costs less than $1.00 CAD per serving.
Great with rice, roti or naan.
Instant Pot Friendly - Check out the Instant Pot version here

Not to worry if you don’t have an Instant Pot. This recipe can easily be adapted to be prepare just as well without one. All you need is a pressure cooker to cook the lentils, or, boil the kidney beans and the urad dal/black lentils on low heat until they mash easily.

Also, it is so incredibly cheap to make. A restaurant would charge you at least $15.00 CAD for a quarter of this recipe - this recipe is such a steal. Plus you know what is going in it, so you can control how much butter, ghee or cream is added. Plus the recipe tastes just like a restaurant so it is a win-win!

How To Prepare Dal Makhani in the Instant Pot?

For the lentils

1. Add the lentils kidney beans and the rest of the ingredients to a large pot. Season with salt and cover with water, about 4 cups.

2. Bring the water up to a a boil and once boiling, lower heat to bring the water down to a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, or until the beans and lentils mash easily and are completely tender. Stir the pot every 10 minutes to ensure the beans cook evenly.

3. Once cooked set the pot aside with the water, do not drain the cooking liquid. Add additional water, if mixture starts to dry out. Lightly mash the lentils with the back of a serving spoon.

For the tadka

1. Heat a pan on medium heat and add ghee and cumin seeds. Cook until cumin seeds turn reddish brown and are aromatic.

2. In the meanwhile, add ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato to a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.

3. Add the puree to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and deggi mirch and cook, while stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not burn.

4. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture releases oil or appears dry.

5. Add tomato paste to the centre of the pan and cook for about a minute. Stir the tomato paste into the masala and turn off the heat.

For the dal makhani

1. Add the cooked lentils along with any cooking water to the pan with the tomato tadka. Add 1 1/2 - 2 Cups water if not much cooking water is left after cooking the lentils. Mix well and bring the dal makhani up to a simmer.

2. Crush the kasoori methi between your hands and add to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. Then, add in the butter, garam masala and cream, mix well and simmer for 5-10 minutes. If the lentils become too thick, add water 1/4 cup at a time to adjust consistency. Once ready, you turn off the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.

Enjoy the dal makhani with steamed rice, naan, or roti. Check out some some of my recipes for rice and breads that go well with this delicious dal makhani:

Serve hot, and enjoy!

Cold Dal Makhani Anyone?

Are you guilty of taking out leftover dal makhani and naan from the fridge and just eat it cold? If so, you’re not alone. It is just so delicious! The chill of the fridge makes the dal thicker and the flavour is unlike anything else.

It’s worth a try!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

dal makhani, maa ki dal, daal makhani, restaurant style dal makhani, how to make dal, dal makhani at home, restaurant dal makhani at home

Indian, North Indian, Vegetarian

Indian, North Indian

Yield: 4

Author: Anadi

Dal Makhani - Restaurant Style Recipe

Dal Makhani, also known as "maa ki dal" is one of the most popular lentils dishes in most North Indian restaurants and loved by all. Incredibly easy restaurant style recipe.

Prep time: 7 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 17 M

Ingredients

For the lentils

1/4 Cup urad dal/black lentils, soaked for 4-6 hours
2 Tbsp red kidney beans, soaked for 4-6 hours
1 bay leaf
1 inch cinnamon stick
salt to taste

For the tadka

1 Tbsp butter or ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves
1 inch piece ginger, roughly chopped
2-3 green chillies (optional)
1 medium tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp deggi mirch
1 Tbsp tomato paste

For the dal makhani

1 Tbsp kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 Cup half and half cream
salt to taste

Instructions

For the lentils

Add the lentils kidney beans and the rest of the ingredients to a large pot. Season with salt and cover with water, about 4 cups.
Bring the water up to a a boil and once boiling, lower heat to bring the water down to a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, or until the beans and lentils mash easily and are completely tender. Stir the pot every 10 minutes to ensure the beans cook evenly.
Once cooked set the pot aside with the water, do not drain the cooking liquid. Add additional water, if mixture starts to dry out. Lightly mash the lentils with the back of a serving spoon.

For the tadka

Heat a pan on medium heat and add ghee, cumin seeds and hing. Cook until cumin seeds turn reddish brown and are aromatic.
In the meanwhile, add ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato to a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
Add the puree to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and deggi mirch and cook, while stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not burn. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture releases oil or appears dry.
Add tomato paste to the centre of the pan and cook for about a minute. Stir the tomato paste into the masala and turn off the heat.

For the dal makhani

Add the cooked lentils along with any cooking water to the pan with the tomato tadka. Add 1 1/2 - 2 Cups water if not much cooking water is left after cooking the lentils. Mix well and bring the dal makhani up to a simmer.
Crush the kasoori methi between your hands and add to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Then, add in the butter, garam masala and cream, mix well and simmer for 5-10 minutes. If the lentils become too thick, add water 1/4 cup at a time to adjust consistency. Once ready, you turn off the heat and cover with a lid to keep warm.