Dal Makhani a North Indian vegetarian specialty

PREP TIME

10 minutes

COOK TIME

45 minutes

SERVES

6 people

Ingredients

DAL MIXTURE INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup chana dal (substitute split peas)
2 tsp olive oil or coconut oil
4-5 cups water
1 cup urad dal (substitute puy lentils, mung beans or adzuki beans)

TEMPERING INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp The Spice People’s North Indian Dal Makhani spice
1 tbsp ghee/ olive oil/ coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 fresh green or red chilli whole (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

The love this recipe

Dal Makhani is an authentic North Indian recipe and one of the most popular dishes served in any restaurant. This particular version is from Amritsar the home of the golden temple, which we were fortunate to be able to visit on our recent trip to India.

We absolutely loved our time in Amritsar soaking up the ambience of the holy city, and the streets near the temple allow only foot traffic making it a welcome relief from the noise and madness of the cars and motorbikes on the roads. The golden temple was a wonderful experience and should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Makhani is easy to make at home and can be served as part of a thali plate or as a main dish with rice and roti. One of the best things about this recipe is its creamy texture and a perfect blend of spices, great at any time of the day, sure to become one of your staples for vegetarian cooking. This recipe also works well when served with other Indian curries like our chickpea korma curry.

Directions

Dal mixture
In a pressure cooker – 10min (alternatively use a stove top saucepan -1 hour or combination pressure /slow cooker) – 10min.
Add both dal varieties, ginger, oil and 4 cups of water and cook according to your chosen method.
After the dal is cooked, transfer to a large sauce pan, add additional water if required and simmer until tempering spices are ready.
Tempering
Heat oil/ghee in a saucepan. Add onion and ginger, sauté till golden approx 5 mins. Add North Indian dal spice blend, and whole chilli if using. Sauté 2 mins. Add chopped tomato and cook until tomato is completely mushy.
Combine dal and tempering mixtures together in main saucepan. At this stage you can use a stick blender to partially blend the dal. This will give it a creamier texture. You may need to add a little water to prevent it sticking on the pan while blending. Add the lemon juice 1 tbsp at a time and taste in between. Next season the dal mixture with salt and pepper Serve with rice and roti. Garnish with fresh coriander.