Dal Makhani (cremige schwarze Linsen)

Dal makhani comes from Punjab and is the creamy, rich cousin of everyday dal. The secret is time: the longer it simmers, the creamier it gets.

Soak the lentils overnight. Serve with naan or jeera rice.

Video and original recipe by Hebbar’s Kitchen. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the original.

• Serves 4
• Prep 15 min
• Soak 480 min
• Cook 90 min
• Vegetarian · gluten-free
• Beliebt in Punjab

Ingredients

• 180 g whole black urad dal
• 40 g red kidney beans (rajma)
• 1 litre water
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 200 ml tomato passata
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 80 ml cream

Method

1. Soak urad dal and kidney beans overnight, then drain.
2. Cook them with water and salt for 60 minutes (or 6–7 whistles in a pressure cooker) until very soft. Mash some lentils against the side of the pot.
3. Melt 2 tbsp butter, fry cumin seeds, then onion until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry 1 minute.
4. Add passata and chilli powder and cook until the butter separates, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the cooked lentils with their water and simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring often.
6. Stir in garam masala, crushed kasuri methi, cream and the rest of the butter. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.