Dhal Makhani Recipes

Steps:

• Soak whole black urad and rajma overnight in 3-4 cups of water.
• Cook the soaked dal and rajma in the same water with salt, red chili powder and half the chopped ginger till dal and rajma are cooked and soft.
• Peel and chop the onion, ginger and garlic finely. Also chop the tomatoes.
• Heat oil and butter in a thick-bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds, when it crackles add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic and chopped tomatoes. Sauté till tomatoes are well mashed and fat starts to leave the masala. Add boiled dal and rajma to this.Do not add the liquid at first.Crush(mash) the dals with the back of the ladle while stirring continuously, this gives that creamy texture to the dal .
• Add the liquid and some water if required and simmer on very low heat for fifteen minutes.
• Add fresh cream and garam masala powder let it simmer for another five minutes. Finish off with a couple of pinch of Kasoori methi powdered.
• Serve hot with Naan or Paraatha.
• Tip: Replacing the tomatoes with 4 tablespoons of thick tomato paste will enhance the taste and colour of the dish manifold.

Steps:

• Tip the dhal into a sieve and rinse under cold water several times until the water runs clear. Put in a large bowl or pot and cover in double their volume of warm water. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and leave to soak at room temperature for at least 12 hrs.
• Drain the dhal (but don't rinse), tip into a pan and cover with 1.5 litres water. Add the sliced ginger, whole chilli and turmeric, then bring to the boil, skim off any scum that rises to the top and reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 hr until very tender, or cook in a pressure cooker for 20 mins. Remove the ginger and chilli.
• Heat the butter in a separate pan over a medium-high heat until it has foamed up and turned nut-brown. Pour half into a small container and set aside. Return the pan and remaining butter to the heat and add the cumin seeds, fenugreek leaves, ground coriander, garlic, grated ginger and tomato purée and cook for 2 mins more. Stir the spice mixture into the cooked dhal, then add the kidney beans along with the liquid from the can and season generously with salt.
• Roughly mash the dhal mixture with a potato masher until some of the pulses are crushed. Cook, stirring, over a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the dhal is thick and creamy. Stir through most of the reserved brown butter, the garam marsala and half the cream. Tip the dhal into a serving dish and drizzle over the remaining cream and brown butter. Scatter over the chopped chilli and ginger matchsticks and serve.

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the ghee and stir-fry the onions just until wilted, do not brown. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, lentils, ginger, curry powder, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaf. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until the herbs and spices bloom (aromatic). Add the tomatoes and deglaze with the vinegar. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning with cumin, salt, pepper and sugar.
• In a large saute pan, combine the black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, and dried red chiles. Over medium heat, cook just until slightly toasted, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and stir in the grated nutmeg.
• Transfer to a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Pass through a fine strainer. Allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight jar. Use as needed.

Steps:

• Place lentils and kidney beans in a large bowl; cover with plenty of water. Soak for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain.
• Cook lentils, kidney beans, 5 cups water, and salt in a pot over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and set aside. Keep the lentils, kidney beans, and any excess cooking water in the pot.
• Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook cumin seeds in the hot oil until they begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and cloves; cook until bay leaves turn brown, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low; add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Stir to coat.
• Stir tomato puree into spice mixture; cook over medium heat until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, coriander, and butter; cook and stir until butter is melted.
• Stir lentils, kidney beans and any leftover cooking water into tomato mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Stir fenugreek into lentil mixture. Cover saucepan and simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Add cream and cook until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes.

Steps:

• Boil the lentils in 800ml water for 15 mins until almost tender. Meanwhile, fry the onions and chillies in the 50g butter for about 7 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the ginger, garlic and spices and cook over a low heat for 1 min more.
• Pour in 800ml boiling water followed by the cooked lentils and any liquid. Add the bay leaves and beans, then simmer for 20 mins more until thickened. This can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, or frozen for up to 1 month.
• To serve, return to the heat if necessary and stir in the cream. Season well. Pour into a bowl, dot with the remaining butter, dust with garam masala and scatter with coriander.

Steps:

• Clean, wash and soak the whole black lentils and kidney beans overnight. Drain and keep aside.
• Combine the lentils and beans with salt and 2 cups of water and cook till the dals are overcooked. Whisk well till the mixture is almost mashed.
• Heat the butter in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
• When the cumin seeds crackle, add the green chillies, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, onions, ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the onions turn golden brown in color.
• Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and tomato puree and cook over a medium flame till the oil separates from the tomato gravy.
• Add the dal mixture, water and salt if required and simmer for 10 t 15 minutes.
• Add the cream and mix well.
• Garnish with the cilantro and serve hot.

Steps:

• Wash and soak the kidney beans and the dal together in huge bowl.
• If you see a scum or froth on the surface this is due to humid climatic conditions. Wash the dal thoroughly with water if this happens to avoid the sour taste of dal.
• Drain the dal in a pressure cooker; add finely chopped garlic. Salt to taste and red chili powder. Add enough water fill almost 2/3 of pressure cooker.
• Leave it on high for about 15 minutes, then slow down the flame for about 20 minutes. This simmering will help the dal thicken and cook properly.
• In the meantime, prepare the tempering (tadka).
• Heat oil in a wok. Add cumin; let it splutter but make sure it doesn't burn. Add the puréed tomatoes. Let it simmer for about 4-5 minutes. When the tomatoes start leaving oil on the sides of the pan it means the tadka is ready.
• Add this steaming tadka to the dal and let it simmer for a while uncovered.
• When the dal thickens to the consistency you want (I usually let it simmer for about 10 minutes or more--we like really thick dal that can be poured on the plate that's the actual consistency of dal makhani) add the cream; cook for a minute turn off the flame.
• Serve with hot naan or paranthas.

Steps:

• Wash the mung beans thoroughly under cold water, and repeat two-three times until the water runs clear when drained. Put the beans in a small saucepan with 200ml water and 200ml milk and bring to the boil. Let it boil vigorously for 5 mins before reducing to a low heat. Simmer for 30-45 mins half-covered with a lid. Check the mung beans after 30 mins. When they are cooked, they should be soft enough to smash with the back of a spoon.
• In a separate frying pan, heat the sunflower oil and butter. Once warmed through and the butter has melted, add the tomato purée and chilli powder (depending on how hot you like it). Cook for 5 mins on a low heat before adding this paste to the bean pan.
• Increase the heat of the saucepan to medium, add salt to taste, and reduce, uncovered, if you need to. The consistency should be slightly thinner than a custard. At this point, add the remaining 50ml milk, and stir well. Cover with a lid, and cook on a low heat for 30 mins, adding a splash of water during cooking if it gets too thick. Check for seasoning, before serving topped with the coriander.