Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Dal Makhani



During wedding preparations they normally say, we can compromise on anything, but not on food. People remember your wedding by the food that was served & not by the jewelry, decoration or any other thing for that matter (there may be exceptions though!!). I am one among those people who remember occasions, weddings, parties by the food served. It always happens that I fall in love with one or the other dish served during such celebrations & it becomes a memorable one for me :)

The dishes adorned during some celebrations have become a part of our lunch/dinner menu now. I must say, dal makhani is one such dish. I was not fascinated about this dish, but I feel I have developed the liking for it & now I love this “black lentils cooked on a low heat with loads of butter & spices”.

Ingredients:

Whole urad dal with skin/black lentils: 1 cup

Rajma/Kidney Beans: 1/4th cup

Ginger-garlic paste: 1tsp

Green chillies: 2 nos

Salt: according to taste

Cashew nuts: 8-10 soaked in water/milk

Plain Yogurt: 2-3tbsp (thick yogurt)

Savory water: ½ cup (optional)

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Amchur powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Garam masala: 1/2 tsp

Butter: 5tbsp

Kasoori Methi(Dried fenugreek leaves): 1 tbsp

Garlic paste: 1 tsp

Tomatoes: 3 nos (instead use 1 cup tomato puree)

Oil: 3 tbsp

Salt: According to taste

Cilantro/coriander leaves: 1 tbsp finely chopped for garnishing



Method:

  • Wash the rajma & black lentils thoroughly & soak them in water overnight or for 8-10hours. Drain completely.
  • Add 4 cups of water, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies to the soaked dals & pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Keep the heat on medium for the first 2 whistles & reduce the heat for the remaining.
  • Meantime, soak the cashewnuts in milk/water & prepare a smooth paste out of it.
  • Blanch the tomatoes & chop it finely or prepare a puree out of it.
  • Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add oil to it. When oil is hot, add garlic & saute till garlic turns golden brown. Add tomato paste or finely chopped tomatoes & cook on a medium flame.
  • Crush the kasoori methi & add it to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes ooze out oil & changes its color.
  • Drain the water from the cooked lentils/dals & mash them gently.
  • Add the savory water, 1/2 cup water, salt & cooked dals to the pan. Add red chilli powder, amchur powder, cashew paste. Cook the dal on a low heat for 20-30mins. (Keep adding 2-3tbsp water if required).
  • Add yogurt, butter, garam masala & cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Garnish it with cilantro & serve hot with rotis/naans or plain parathas.

20 comments:

  1. looks so delicious and so creamy..i love this with rice..

    ReplyDelete
  2. One good looking dal-makhani. It never fails to impress people.

    ReplyDelete
  3. who wouldn't love to have this creamy delight with a bowl of freshly steam cooked rice! ah, comfort food can do wonders :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Surprisingly I don't like this!! Dunno why! It looks good!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I second your opinions...Like all true foodies, I do not remember any thing about wedding and functions apart from the food.. Ask me what they served even if it were years ago I did remember :) I am sure your in-laws appreciated Dal Makhani ..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks healthy and yummy I love it with rice n roti

    ReplyDelete
  7. gorgeous clicks!! looks so tempting and yummy :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. The dal-makhani looks really good!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dal Makhni looks tempting with that white butter in btw..slurrp! ondeardu chapathi idre mast!

    ReplyDelete
  10. hi sushma,
    Hope u r doing good, hope u r enjoying ur time with ur in-laws :)
    o O! I am to some extend like u :) remember the occassions by the dishes served.
    Dal makhni looks heavenly, all creamy and spiced up. I would have it with a bowl of rice and then ZZZZZZZZZ;)
    Enjoy maadi!
    hugs to u and ur little one :)
    tc

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am planning to make this from almost 2 weeks but something or the other comes up:( Dal makhani looks mouth watering, so creamy and rich with a dollop of butter!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is one dal everyone will like, love the first picture

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey,
    Love the picture.Never made dal using urad dal. i always use Moong or toor dal. Will try this out sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow..a healthy recipe..my hubby's fav...tried last week...came out well.....it's in my draft...

    ReplyDelete
  15. First time here you have got a good collection of recipes ...Dal Makhani looks v nice and yummy

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love to cook with legumes..This is rich and delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is truly one of my favs.lovely!

    ReplyDelete

  18. This is a good posting, I was wondering if I could use this write-up on my website, I will link it back to your website though.

    ReplyDelete
  19. @Anonymous,
    You could use this write up, but do give back the link to my website.

    ReplyDelete

Hi,

Thanks for visiting 'Savi-Ruchi'. I would try my best to update the blog with new & interesting recipes.
Hope you had nice time in my blog & feel free to share your comments.
Visit Again!!

Featured Post

Noodles and Vegetables with Honey Ginger Sauce

Am I the only one who crave for noodles when sick with cold and sore throat? I love this noodles with honey-ginger sauce and it is perfe...