Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani is something I order every time I go to a restaurant. The actual dish is a rich and creamy preparations with lots of butter and cream and prep time that makes my eyes water. It starts with washing the dal several times, soaking it for several hours and then washing it some more before you start to cook and calls for tons of butter and cream, so much so this is a recipe for special occasions, definitely not something you can eat everyday . I was inspired by Chef Bhupi (Honest Kitchen Facebook page) to make a lighter version using toned milk instead of butter. I have further reduced the cooking/prep time by hours by substituting the Black Urad Dal with Merchant Gourmet’s pre-Puy Lentils. This dish tasted exactly like you get in a restaurant and took me less 30 mins to make and I even made my own tomato puree!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Merchant Gourmet’s Puy Lentils
• 400 ml Tomato Puree (I made my own – Boil 3 tomatoes with a bit of water and salt, Blitz in blender)
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 cups Skimmed Milk
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tbsp fried onions (crushed)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi (crushed)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilly Powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Oil

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaf.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.

Add the tomato puree and chilly powder and cook till the oil separates.

Add the Puy lentils, crushed fried onions and mix well.

Add milk a little at a time, as the gravy thickens add more milk.

Add the kasuri methi, garam masala, tomato paste and salt.

Cook for a couple of minutes.

Dal Makhani is ready to be served with plain rice, chapati or naan.