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DAL MAKHNI



    Dal Makhni is one of the most loved dal's in India which is rich, creamy and buttery in texture.


    This creamy buttery dal is made with black lentils (whole urad) and is slowly cooked by simmering it for hours on low heat traditionally. It often has kidney beans added to it.... Here I am sharing my little tips and tricks to make this restaurant style dal at home in a much less time and yet achieving that unique flavour you get in Dal Makhni cooked traditionally.


    Lentils are quite a staple diet in every Indian household. Different dals are cooked almost every day and at my maternal house, mum would always make masoor, moong, chana or toor dal as the regulars on a daily basis and Dal Makhni would be cooked only on special occasions. This norm is still prevailing in my house after marriage.


    Dal Makhni is quite meaty in taste and creamy in texture. It's a rich dal with lots of cream and butter which makes it a delicacy and is cooked only on special occasions.


    I am sharing my recipe of making the best Dal Makhni recipe ever and do give it a try and tag me on my Instagram page and do write comments below as well. Would love hear feedback from you. Keep cooking!

    PREP TIME: 15 minutes

    COOKING TIME: 45 minutes

    TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

    SERVES: 4



    INGREDIENTS

    • 3/4 cup urad dal (whole)/ black lentil

    • 2 tbsp rajma (kidney beans)

    • 3 tbsp butter/ ghee

    • 1 tsp cumin seeds

    • 3-4 cloves

    • 1" long cinnamon stick

    • 3-4 cardamom green

    • 1 medium onion, chopped

    • 1" piece ginger, chopped

    • 2 tsp garlic, chopped

    • 2 cloves garlic whole, peeled

    • 2 green chilli, cut in half

    • 1 cup tomato puree

    • 2 tbsp tomato paste

    • 1-2 bay leaves

    • 2 pinch asafoetida powder

    • 2 tsp coriander powder

    • 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

    • 1/4 tsp garam masala

    • 1/2 cup fresh cream

    • 2 tsp salt or to taste

    • 1/2" piece ginger, julienned

    • 15g butter (cut in small cubes)

    • 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

    METHOD

    1. Wash dal and rajma 3-4 times and place it in the pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water, salt, whole garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leave and cloves. Cover the cooker with lid, leaving on high heat let the pressure build, once it starts whistling, reduce the heat and pressure cook for 25-30 minutes on low flame or until it is cooked.

    2. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.

    3. For tempering, melt butter in a heavy based deep saucepan, add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds crackle add chopped ginger & garlic, green chillies, asafoetida and stir for 1 minute.

    4. Now add onions, roast until little brown, add chilli, coriander powder and garam masala, stir for a minute to roast spices. Add tomato puree and tomato paste and stir. Cook over medium heat until the mixture leaves oil on the side of the pan.

    5. Add cooked dal to the mixture and mix well. Add little warm water to the dal (if required) and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

    6. To this add fresh cream, (reserving 1 tbsp for garnishing); mix well. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Ladle into serving bowl.

    7. Garnish with chopped coriander, ginger strips, cubes of butter and cream. Serve hot.


    COOK'S NOTES

    • If not using pressure cooker for making dal, soak it overnight along with rajma or for at least 5-6 hours and cook by simmering for 50 minutes to an hour on low flame.

    • These are best served with any staple Indian breads like garlic naan, lachchaa parantha, tandoori roti or rice pulaos like jeera pulao or peas pulao.

    • Wash and rinse the dal thoroughly, at least 3-4 times before cooking.

    • If making in pressure cooker, always lower the heat after first whistle and cook on low flame else water will evaporate quickly and your dal can burn. Hence simmering at lower flame is an important step.

    • If using fresh tomato puree you must add tomato paste as tomato paste is concentrated and adds an extra rich colour and flavour.

    • You can also enhance the flavour of the dal by infusing smoky flavour. place a steel cooker stand or trivet inside the dal pot. Put hot coal in a small steel bowl, place it on the trivet inside the dal pot. Drop a teaspoon of ghee on hot coal and immediately cover the pot with aluminium foil or a tight lid. Leave it for 10 minutes and then remove bowl and trivet from the dal.

    • #vegetarian #dalmakhni #indianfood #maincourse #dal #lentil #blacklentil #indiancurries

    PUNJABI PAKORA KARDHI



      Thought of treating you guys with this golden glory, ‘Punjabi Pakora Kardhi’. Made it yesterday for my daughter, as it’s her favourite dish. I still can’t forget the day when she was just 5, she came back home from school and had 3 plates of Kardhi and chawal (rice) and was still asking for more! Her dire love for this dish has become a memorandum in the family, and I hope you can make similar memories with this dish for yourself!

      SERVES: 6

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      COOKING TIME: 45 minutes

      TOTAL TIME: 1 hour



      INGREDIENTS


      For Kardhi:

      • 1 ½ litre Laban/Buttermilk

      • ¾ cup Besan (Gram Flour)

      • 4 cups Water

      • 2 tsp Salt

      • 1 ½ tsp Turmeric

      For Tempering:

      • 1 tsp Coriander Seeds

      • ½ tsp Methi (fenugreek) seeds

      • 4-5 Whole Red Chillies

      • 2 tsp Coriander Powder

      • ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder

      • 2 Green Chillies

      • 1 large Onion, chopped

      • 4 cloves Garlic

      • 1” piece Ginger, chopped

      • ½ tsp Garam Masala

      • 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek)

      • 1 tsp Green coriander, chopped (to garnish)

      • ½ tsp Salt

      • 3 tbsp Oil

      For Pakoras:

      • 1 medium Onion, chopped finely

      • 1 small Potato, chopped finely

      • 1 Green Chilli, chopped

      • ¾ cup Besan (Gram Flour)

      • 1 tsp Coriander seeds (hand crushed)

      • ½ tsp Pomegranate seeds (anar dana)

      • 1 tsp Ginger, finely chopped

      • 1 tsp Salt

      • ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder

      • ½ tsp Ajwain (Carom Seed)

      • 1 tsp Coriander Powder

      • ¼ tsp Garam Masala

      • ½ cup (approx.) Laban

      • ½ cup (approx.) Water

      • 1 ½ cup Oil (for frying)

      • 1 tbsp Chopped Coriander leaves



      METHOD


      To Make Kardhi:

      1. In a large deep cooking pot, pour laban, add besan, 2 tsp salt and turmeric.

      2. With a wire whisker, whisk them together and make lump free batter; add water and mix well.

      3. Simmer on a low flame for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently.

      To Make Pakoras:

      1. In a bowl sift besan, add onions, potatoes and all the other dry pakora ingredients, pour water and laban, mix well to make soft batter. Leave to rest for 15 mins.

      2. Heat oil in a pan on medium high flame, pour the batter in small dollops (approx. 1 tbsp each).

      3. Deep fry pakoras until golden brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper.

      To Make Tempering:

      1. Crush garlic, ginger and green chillies with ½ tsp salt in mortar and pestle and make paste.

      2. Heat oil in a fry pan over medium-low heat, add coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and whole red chillies, sauté for few seconds, add garlic, ginger and green chilli paste, stir for a few seconds, add onions, raise heat and fry them until golden brown.

      3. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt, sauté for few seconds and add it to the simmering kardhi.

      4. Add pakoras in the kardhi. Cook it further for another 5-7 minutes at low heat, taste and add salt if required.

      5. Rub kasuri methi in your palms, add it to the kardhi and stir to mix.

      6. Garnish with garam masala and coriander. Serve hot with steamed rice.


      COOK'S NOTES:

      • You can also use 2 cups of sour plain yogurt instead of laban or buttermilk. To get the right tartness in kardhi, use 2 days old yogurt.


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