Dal Makhani Recipe (Indian Butter Lentils)

Dal Makhani Recipe (Indian Butter Lentils)

If you're a fan of creamy, aromatic, restaurant style dal makhani (Indian butter lentils), I'll show you how easy it is to make this recipe at home!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Daal Makhani, Dal Makhani, Dal Makhani Recipe, Dhal Makhani

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2 15

Soak Time: 8

Servings servings

Calories 335kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

1 cup dried whole black lentils (aka urad dal)
1/2 cup dried red kidney beans
8 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock for richer flavor)
3 tablespoons clarified butter (aka ghee)
2 large onions (chopped)
6 large cloves garlic (crushed using a mortar and pestle or grated on a microplane)
1 inch piece fresh ginger (grated on a microplane)
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods (cracked open)
2 whole cloves
2 dried hot red chilies (more or less to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala spice mix
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
14.5 ounce can petite diced no-salt-added tomatoes
6 ounce can tomato paste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 4 pieces)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish Ideas:

Sliced red onion
Jalapeno slices
Sliced scallion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Heavy whipping cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

The Night Before:

Add the black lentils and red beans to a large bowl; fill the bowl with room temperature water and soak overnight (8 to 12 hours).

The Day Of:

Cook the beans. Rinse and drain the legumes next day, picking out any impurities (such as small pieces of rock). Add them to a 5-quart pot along with the vegetable stock. Bring up to a boil, then cover the pot, turn heat down to simmer, and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Create the base flavor.
Caramelize the onion. While the beans cook, heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and deep caramel in color, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add a splash of water or turn the heat down at any point if the onions start to get too dark or the pan starts to get too hot.
Add the aromatics. Once the onion is caramelized, turn the heat to medium (if it wasn’t there already) and add the garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Sauté the spices. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, red chilies, garam masala, coriander, cumin, Kashmiri chilli powder, sweet paprika, fenugreek, and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
Incorporate the spiced caramelized onions into the beans. After the lentils and beans have cooked for 1 hour, stir in the onion/spice mixture, the diced tomatoes, and the tomato paste.
Gently simmer (uncovered) until the sauce is somewhat thickened and the lentils and beans are fully tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently. (TIP: You can cover the pot or add a splash of water or stock if the sauce gets too thick before the lentils and beans are tender.)
Finishing touches and serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and cream. Serve topped with any garnishes you like, along with rice or Indian bread.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: This dish goes well with a variety of things like naan, sourdough naan, basmati rice (or cauliflower rice to keep the carbs down), and/or salad shirazi.
Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the garnish ideas or serving suggestions.
Storage: Cool to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition