Dal Makhani Recipe Restaurant Style in Cooker – Tips & Tricks

Time and servings

Prep time	8 hr
Cook time	40 min
Total time	8 hr 40 min
Serves	4 servings

​

About

It is a popular North Indian or Punjabi cuisine lentil curry made with a combination of black lentils aka urad dal and kidney beans aka rajma. Dal Makhani is known for its rich and creamy texture and taste and is often served with flavored rice like jeera rice or basic pulao rice recipes. The creamy texture of the dal is due to the way the lentils are cooked. It is slow-cooked for hours in low flame and the lentils with beans turn out to be creamy and rich in texture. There are myriad ways to make this traditional Dal Makhni curry, but the traditional recipe is made with just urad dal and rajma beans. Initially, it is soaked and pressure cooked and then simmered and slow-cooked for hours and sometimes overnight. The curry is basically cooked and tossed with tomato and onion base which makes it sharp and tangy in taste. It is further added with full cream as an additional or optional topping which makes it even more creamy and tasty.

​

Ingredients

​

for pressure cooking dal:

• ¾ cup whole black urad dal / sabut urad dal
• ¼ cup kidney beans / rajma
• water for soaking
• 3 cups water (for pressure cooking)
• salt to taste

​

for dal makhani recipe:

• 1-2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 2 large tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• one large onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or as per your spice level)
• salt to taste
• 1 cup water (or as required)
• 2 tbsp fresh cream (or as required)
• few coriander leaves (chopped)

​

for tempering:

• 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• generous pinch hing / asafoetida
• ¾ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala (optional)

​

Instructions

​

pressure cooking dal recipe:

1. take 1 cup of black urad dal and ¼ cup of rajma in a large bowl.
2. add enough water and soak overnight or atleast for 8 hours.
3. rinse the dal in a running water and transfer into a cooker. add 3 cups of water.
4. also add some salt to taste.
5. close the lid and pressure cook on medium flame for 5 whistles. or till the dals are cooked completely.

​

dal makhani recipe:

1. in a large kadai add a tbsp of ghee and saute bay leaf for a minute. or till they turn fragrant.
2. then add finely chopped onions and saute till they change in colour.
3. once onions are done, add ginger-garlic paste. saute till raw smell disappears completely.
4. now add chopped tomatoes and cook till they are soft.
5. add turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder and salt to taste. cook the masalas for a minute.
6. once the masalas start releasing oil from sides, add cooked dal and give a good stir.
7. adjust the consistency by adding 1 cup of water or as required.
8. boil for 15 minutes or more till the dal absorbs flavour and turns thick.
9. to get the creamy texture, add 2 tbsp of fresh cream. you can also skip or increase the amount of cream according to your preference.
10. top up with fresh coriander leaves.

​

tempering recipe:

1. heat tadka pan, and add a tbsp or more ghee. once it begins to melts, add hing.
2. also add chilli powder and garam masala (optional). fry for 2-3 seconds.
3. and immediately pour the tempering over dal makhani. give a good mix to get bright colour and flavour.
4. serve dal makhani with jeera rice or garlic naan.

​

Pressure cooking dal recipe

​

Dal makhani recipe

​

Why Dal Makhani is Popular

There are myriad reasons why this curry is super popular across India if not all over the globe. A few main reasons are –

1. Rich & Creamy – When compared to the other lentil or dal curries, dal makhani is super rich and creamy due to its unique cooking method. This is very much appreciated and carries a huge fan following because of it.
2. Comfort Food – Due to its rich and creamy texture, it gives immense pleasure and satisfaction when served with jeera rice or even rotis.
3. Healthy – The combination of urad dal and kidney beans provides a good amount of proteins and minerals. Especially when served with rice, it makes a balanced diet meal with carbs from rice too.
4. Premium Dal – Due to the natural creaminess it offers with the additional cooking cream toppings, it makes one of the creamiest dal recipes. Hence it is treated as a luxurious and celebratory dal curry.
5. Versatility – Even though the recipe is made with 2 main ingredients, it can be easily further extended with additional lentils. Toor dal, channa dal, and moong dal can add more creaminess to the dal to make it more premium.

​

Tempering

1. Heat tadka pan, and add a tbsp or more ghee. Once it begins to melt, add hing.
2. Also, add chili powder and garam masala (optional). Fry for 2-3 seconds.
3. Immediately pour the tempering over the dal makhani. Give a good mix to get bright color and flavor.
4. Finally, serve dal makhani with jeera rice or garlic naan.

​

Video

​

Tips

The recipe to make any dal is generally simple and easy without any fancy ingredients. Yet some important tips to make it dhaba style or restaurant style –

1. Lentils & Beans – The quality of urad dal lentils and rajma beans are very critical for this recipe. Use a fresh and the right ratio of lentils vs beans ratio for a creamy and rich dal curry.
2. Cooking Technique – Unlike other dal recipes, the dal makhani recipe needs planning and soaking before the lentils are pressure cooked. In addition, the pressure-cooked lentils are simmered for hours for a creamy and rich texture. However, you can simmer it for 10-15 minutes if you need something urgent.
3. Texture – The texture of the lentil is the crux of the recipe. With the use of lentils and beans, it would generally end up with semi-thick consistency. But generally, be careful while adding water or add water in small batches. Also, recommend to mash or blend some pressure-cooked dal and mix it with the curry.
4. Soaking – The soaking of lentil and rajma beans are not mandatory but helps a lot while cooking. If not soaked, the lentils have to be pressure cooked for longer durations so that it is properly cooked.
5. Toppings & Tadka – Adding tadka is not mandatory, but helps a lot for balancing the flavor and taste. Especially it helps to lower the creaminess effect. Also, adding cooking cream helps to increase the creaminess of the curry.

​

FAQ

​

Notes

• Firstly, slow-cook the dal to get a rich flavor.
• Also adding rajma is optional, however, it adds more flavor to dal makhani.
• If you are not diet conscious, increase the amount of ghee.
• Also, add dry fenugreek leaves / Kasuri methi for a rich flavor.
• Finally, dal makhani recipes served in restaurants are usually more creamy and will be difficult to eat more. I have kept it limited to enjoy the real flavors.