Dal Makhani is an Indian dal recipe that is hearty, creamy, and mildly flavoured. Its buttery texture melts in your mouth. As a result, it’s ideal for dipping naan or serving as a main dish with jeera rice. This dal makhani recipe is simple, easy to make, and gluten-free. Dal Makhani has become an inseparable part of Indian cuisine over the years. It is the most popular lentil dish in India.
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About Dal Makhani
In the midst of hot dogs and pancakes, this brown lentil curry is recognised as the curry nation’s flag bearer in western countries. The slightly dark brown thick dal is loaded with tonnes of butter and cream to provide a smooth surface texture, making it appealing for the commercial viability of restaurant menus. However, maa ki dal has far more depth and flavour than being labelled as the “no substance” brown curry.
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To be honest, there are no memorable Dal Makhani imprints in my childhood food memoirs. It was considered a fancy Punjabi delicacy prepared once in a blue moon in honour of some exquisite guests in our Kumaoni household.
How to make Dal Makhani?
Alternatively, one of my aunts in Delhi would take pride in cooking and serving makhani dal whenever we visited her during the holidays. However, her Dal Makhani did not leave a lasting impression on my taste buds. That was my quick introduction to India’s most popular dal.
Then marriage into a Sikh family opened up a whole new world of maa ki dal and rajma masala. The key steps in making a true Punjabi style maa ki dal are the balance of spices, the creamy texture, and the fuss about the slow cooking process.
Read More:- Information about Dal Makhani
But, if you were to ask me, ‘which is the better food between rajma and dal makhani?’ I would say rajma. They are both contenders for the top spot on my list of favourite comfort foods. I’d gladly trade a fancy gourmet meal for a blissful meal of dal and rajma any day.
In Dal Makhani, which Dal is used?
In dal makhani, the whole black lentil (sabut urad dal) is used. A combination of rajma (red kidney beans) and chana dal is also used in Punjabi style maa ki dal. And we can’t think of maa ki dal without either of these two lentils.
In a perfect makhani dal, the ideal proportion of these three lentils is 1: 0.25: 0.25, or 1 cup of whole black urad dal and 14 cups of each rajma and chana dal.
How Can I Make Dal Makhani At Home?
To begin with, you don’t need a large number of ingredients to make the best makhani dal at home. Despite the fact that the dish is a literal translation of the word – buttery lentils. It is not necessary to use a lot of butter and cream to achieve the desired creamy and buttery texture of the dal. Simmering the dal over low heat yields the best results.
As previously stated, the recipe is fuss-free, with no tomato puree/butter/cream/ used to add flavour.
Makhani dal is not a quick meal. Traditionally, it is slow-cooked over a wood fire overnight. However, using a pressure cooker to cook the dal reduces the cooking time to nearly half of what is recommended in traditional recipes.
As a result, I don’t make maa ki dal for dinner on busy weekdays. In our house, it’s a kind of leisure meal. That takes time to cook as well as relish.
