Restaurant-Style Creamy Dal Makhani Recipe

By Bhumika Chitkara

Who doesn’t like restaurant-style hot and creamy dal makhani but making it has always been a tedious task! What if we tell you that you can prepare dal makhani easily without overnight soaking the lentils? Shocked, right? As shocking as it sounds, it is true! You can prepare this easy dal makhani recipe at home without any hassle. Do you want to know the best part? Well, you don’t have to buy all the fancy ingredients from the market. All the spices from your kitchen will do the best job! 

Let’s begin with this easy dal makhani recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup urad dal (whole black lentil)
• ¼ cup rajma (kidney beans)
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• Salt to taste
• ½ tablespoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder 
• ¼ cup cream
• 6 tomatoes (finely chopped or pureed)
• 6 finely chopped onions
• 10-15 garlic cloves
• A piece of ginger
• 2-3 green chillies (as per taste) 
• ½  tablespoon ghee/vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon mustard oil
• 1 bay leaf
• Small cinnamon stick
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 black cardamom 
• Chopped coriander 

How to make dal makhani:

• Start by putting one cup of urad dal and ¼ cup of rajma in a pressure cooker. Wash it thoroughly.

• Once you have washed the dal, add 4 cups of water, salt to taste, ½ teaspoon of mustard oil, 1 bay leaf, 2-3 cloves, cinnamon stick and 1 whole black cardamom. 
• Close the lid, pressure cook it on high flame for 4 whistles and on low flame for 30 minutes.
• Once done, check if the dal and rajma are properly soft. If not, cook it on low flame for another 10 minutes. 

• Now keep this aside and take a pan.
• Add 3 tablespoons of butter and ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil/ghee to prevent the butter from burning. 
• Once the butter is hot, add ginger-garlic paste, finely chopped onions and green chillies. 
• Cook it until the onions turn golden brown.  
• Once the onions are nice and golden, add in your pureed or chopped tomatoes.
• Let it cook for a minute before adding all your spices.

• Mix it well and let it cook until the oil is separated. 

• Add your cooked dal to this mixture and some water if required. Mix well and cook it on low flame for 10 minutes.
• For the final step, add the cream, butter and chopped coriander.
• There you have your restaurant-style creamy and easy dal makhani ready!
• Garnish it with some more cream and chopped coriander. Serve it hot with a crispy lachha paratha, naan or rice.

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