(Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
- ¾ cup whole urad dal OR 140 grams whole urad dal
- ¼ cup rajma OR 40 grams rajma (kidney beans)
- 3 cups water for pressure cooking OR 750 ml water
- 1 medium onion OR 50 grams onion OR ½ cup finely chopped onions
- 1 or 2 green chilies - chopped (hari mirch)
- 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (adrak lahsun ka paste) OR 6 to 7 garlic + 1 inch ginger - crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- 2 large tomatoes OR 200 grams tomatoes pureed OR 1 cup tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 2 to 3 cloves (lavang)
- 2 to 3 green cardamoms (choti elaichi or hari elaichi)
- 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
- 1 small to medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- 2 to 3 pinches of nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg (jaiphal powder)
- 1 cup of water or add as required
- ¼ to ⅓ cup low fat cream - 25% to 30% fat
- ½ tablespoon low fat cream for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 3 tablespoon butter - salted or unsalted
- salt as required
Method
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soak both 3/4 cup whole urad dal and 1/4 cup rajma/kidney beans overnight in enough water for 8 to 9 hours or overnight. later drain them well.
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rinse both the lentils a couple of times in water.
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drain again and then add them in a pressure cooker. add 3 cups water and stir well.
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pressure cook for 18 to 20 whistles on a high flame, till both the urad dal and rajma have cooked thoroughly and softened. if they are not cooked, then add about 1/2 cup water again and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles more. the urad dal should melt in the mouth and should not give any bite or resistance when eaten. you can also just mash the urad dal with a spoon or with your fingers to check the doneness. the same rule applies for rajma too. keep the cooked beans aside.
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in a blender or mixer jar, take chopped tomatoes. 2 large tomatoes or 200 grams of tomatoes, chopped.
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blend to a smooth puree. keep aside. you can also use ready 1 cup tomato puree instead of blending the tomatoes. no need to blanch the tomatoes while pureeing.
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in a pan, now heat 3 tbsp butter. you can use salted butter or unsalted butter.
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add the whole spices - 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 to 3 cloves, 2 to 3 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 small to medium tej patta/bay leaf.
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saute till the spices become aromatic.
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then add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions.
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stir and saute the onions on a low flame often till they become light golden.
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then add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste. stir again and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
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add 1 tsp chopped green chilies and stir for a minute.
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then add the tomato puree and stir again.
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add 1/2 tsp red chili powder and 2 to 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
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stir very well and saute this mixture on a low to medium flame, till you see fat releasing from the sides.
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then add the cooked urad dal and rajma beans along with the stock. also add 1 cup water or as required.
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stir very well and simmer the dal makhani uncovered on a low flame.
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keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don't stuck to the bottom of the pan.
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once the dal makhani has begun to thicken, add salt as required.
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stir very well and continue to simmer on a low flame. when simmering you can add more water if the gravy looks thick or dry. the longer you keep dal makhani to simmer, the better it tastes. i kept for about an overall 25 minutes on a low flame. do keep on stirring at intervals.
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when the gravy has thickened enough, then add 1/4 to 1/3 cup cream. dal makhani is not too thick or too thin. it has a medium consistency.
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stir the cream very well. then switch off the flame.
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now add 1/4 tsp kasuri methi, crushed. stir again. cover and keep the dal makhani aside, if you are proceeding to the dhungar method. or else you can serve dal makhani straight away.
