Mamta's Kitchen Recipe

Butter Dal Makhani - 1 (Kidney Beans & Black Gram)

Dal Makhani - 1

Mamta Gupta

Dal Makhani or Butter Dal is cooked on week-ends, family gatherings and special occasions. It takes longer to cook than the 'split' dals, but the result is worth it. If you cook Black Gram alone, it is called Mah ki Dal. Serves 4

Ingredients

•	1 cup or 150 gm. whole, urad/urd/urid or black gram lentil
•	2-3 tbs. or 1/3 cup kidney beans
•	4-5 cups water
•	1 tbs. coarsely grated ginger
•	2 tsp. coarsely ground fennel seeds
•	1 1/2 tsp. salt, adjust to taste
•	1 tsp. turmeric powder
•	For tarka or tempering:
•	3-4 tbs. ghee or clarified butter or oil
•	1 tsp. cumin seeds
•	A large pinch of asafoetida powder
•	1/2 inch piece ginger
•	3 cloves of garlic, grated
•	1 medium onion (optional)
•	3 red dry chillies, broken roughly
•	3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
•	1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
•	2-3 tbs. thick, natural yoghurt
•	1/2 cup double cream, tinned will do if fresh is not available. Traditionally, fresh white butter was used, hence the name Butter dal. This type of butter is more difficult to find in the West.
•	2 tbs. chopped coriander leaves

Instructions

1.	Wash and soak both dals together, for 3-4 hours. Soaking for longer, say overnight, reduces cooking time.
2.	Place all ingredients, except tarka ingredients, in a pressure cooker and cook for 6-8 whistles or cook for 20-25 minutes, under full pressure. Un-soaked dal takes longer.
3.	Allow pressure cooker to cool and then check whether the dal is cooked soft. This may take different times with different quality of dals, the softness of water etc. If necessary, cook for another 3-4 whistles.
4.	Tarka or Tempering:
5.	Heat ghee in a frying pan or wok.
6.	Add cumin seeds and heeng, allow seeds to splutter.
7.	Add ginger and garlic and fry for 30-40 seconds, until lightly brown. If you wish, you can add a medium, chopped onion at this stage.
8.	Add chopped tomatoes and cook until ghee separates.
9.	Add garam masala and yoghurt and stir-fry until ghee separates.
10.	Add to the cooked dal and simmer dal for a further 5-6 minutes.
11.	Turn heat off.
12.	For serving;
13.	Add 3/4 of the cream and half the coriander leaves and stir.
14.	Just before serving, garnish with remaining coriander leaves and a whirl of cream on top.
15.	Serve with hot Chapatti and Boiled Rice.
16.	Also see Dal Selection.

Notes

•	Traditionally this dal was cooked slowly, for hours, on charcoal. This gave it a creamier texture. You can make it in slow cooker but make sure that you boil it briskly in a pan for last 10 minutes, to neutralise the toxins in Kidney beans/Rajma.
•	In old days, in a traditional Punjabi house, it had a lot of ‘malai’ (thick skin that forms on top of boiled full cream milk)) or fresh butter added to it. These days, people are more health conscious and use less of butter/malai. When you eat in a good restaurant, it is cooked slowly on low heat and often has a same large amount of cream and butter added, hence the ‘buttery’ taste.
•	Healthy option:
•	Omit cream.
•	Use olive oil instead of ghee or butter.

Buy ingredients from a recommended supplier, Spices of India. For more information, see here.

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