Dal Makhani Recipe – Restaurant Style at Home

Dal Makhani Recipe in a restaurant style is everyone’s favorite. Each time when Indians go with their family to a Restro, Dal Makhni comes first on their list of menus. If you are fond of authentic Punjabi food then you are going to love this Dal Makhani even more.

Dal Makhani is made from lentils and one of the most popular recipes from the North Indian Punjabi cuisine. The combination of Whole Black Lentils (known as Urad dal or Kaali Dal in Hindi) and Kidney Beans (known as Rajma in Hindi) with aromatic spices and cream make it delectable.

It is good to prepare the Dal Makhni in a pressure cooker, but I have explained the method of making it in a pan or pot too. 

How This recipe works

Dal Makhani recipe is one of the most viewed recipes on the internet and loved recipe on the blog. As every house maker wants to know how to make it?

The Dal Makhani recipe we are sharing with Smoky flavor is finger-licking good. The Following things make it more delicious and aromatic:

Whole spices

Using the whole Indian spices leaves the Fragrance and aroma this makes Dal Makhani more flavorful.

The common mistake we do is making Dal Makhani without whole spices and thus we miss the restaurant like taste and flavors. Black cardamom and clove giving that lovely aroma and flavor.

Butter and cream

The difference in the dish comes from butter and cream. Cream and butter make a big difference. 

The cream and butter give the recipe a rich taste, apart from the slow cooking.

If you want to make dal makhani with less butter and cream. Do not forget to slow cook it for longer than usual, to get the real deal.

Slow cooking

The secret of the recipe hidden in the Slow Cooking – The more slow-cooked dal makhani is the better it tastes.

Most North Indian restaurants, simmered Dal Makhani for overnight or many hours to develop rich taste. Even said it tastes good after 12 hours of its cooking.

You can refer to it as the slow cooking of the dish. This method makes a world of difference to the consistency of the lentils.

Smoky Flavor

To get the smoky flavor the Lentils i.e dal and rajma slow cooked in a tandoor (A cylindrical-shaped oven made of clay). Tandoor lit with charcoal or wood and that brings the smoky charcoal flavor to the Dal Makhani.

But at home, you will not find tandoor. So we need to find some other ways to bring the smokiness while preparing Dal Makhani Recipe in a pressure cooker.

For that restaurant style Dal Makhani, smoky aroma and flavor is the key.

So you can use these two methods to bring smokiness flavor to home-cooked dal makhani.

1. Charcoal-infused smoke: Known as Dhungar in Hindi language, It is a charcoal smoking technique. The method works fabulously for any recipe. The dal makhani smoked with dhungar tastes exactly like the restaurant style.
2. Use smoked paprika: When you cannot get charcoal using smoked paprika is the easiest method. Instead of Red chilli powder use smoked paprika in the Recipe, you will get a smoky flavor.

How to make Dal Makhani – Step by Step

Soaking lentils

1. Soak both ¾ cup whole urad dal (whole black gram) and ¼ cup rajma (kidney beans) overnight in enough water.

2. Rinse the urad lentils and rajma beans a couple of times with water. Drain it well and then add them in a 3 litre pressure cooker.

3. Add 3 cups water and stir well.

4. Boiled or Pressure cook for 18-20 whistles on a high flame. So that whole urad dal and rajma have cooked thoroughly and softened. Check it and still find it hard, then add about ½ cup water again and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles more. 

5. Just mash the urad dal and kidney beans with a spoon or with your fingers as lentils should melt in your mouth while eating. There would not be any resistance.

6. Take 2 large tomatoes or 200 grams of tomatoes, chopped in a blender or mixer jar.

7. Make a smooth Tomato puree Or you can use the readymade Tomato Puree as well. Keep it for later use.

Making dal makhani

8. Take a pan and 3 tablespoons of butter. Heat it for 30 sec.

9. Time to add whole spices – ½ tsp cumin seeds, 2 to 3 green cardamoms, 2 to 3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 black cardamom, 1 small to medium tej patta. Fry till the spices become aromatic and sputter.

10. Add ½ cup finely chopped onions. Stir and saute the onions on a low flame till they become light golden.

11. Then add 2 teaspoons of ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

12. Add 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies and stir for a minute.

13. Mix the prepared tomato puree.

14. Add ½ teaspoon red chili powder and 2 to 3 pinches of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder (jaayaphal).

15. Sauté and mix it well on low to medium heat. It will take 3-4 minutes till you see fat releasing from the sides. 

16. Now add the cooked urad dal and rajma beans with 1 cup water or more if required.

Cook it well on slow flame

17. Mix it well and simmer the dal uncovered on a low heat. Stirring it often, so that the lentils don’t get stuck at the bottom. Mash a few lentils too while stirring.

18. When the dal makhani has begun to thicken, add salt as per your taste.

19. After mixing it well Continue simmer on low heat. If the consistency looks thick or dry you can add more water to it. (The lentils become viscous, creamy and thickening as you simmer. for it for long)

It will take 25 minutes on a low flame. Do not forget to stirring at intervals.

20. Now the Gravy will be thickened enough, add ¼ to ⅓ cup low-fat cream. Mix the cream very well. Then switch off the heat.

The consistency in Punjabi dal makhani is neither too thick or too thin. A medium consistency with a viscosity originating from the completely cooked lentils.

21. At last add ¼ teaspoon Kasuri methi. Stir again. Cover and keep the dal makhani aside.

Punjabi dal makhani is Ready to serve. If you want to add Smoky Flavor you can use Dhungar method as given below:

Smoky Dal Makhani – Charcoal smoking or dhungar method

22. Heat a small piece of charcoal on flame till it becomes red hot. Divide it into some pieces. Keep the red hot charcoal in a small bowl.

23. Pour ½ to ⅔ teaspoon oil on the charcoal. It would begin to smoke as soon as you pour oil on it. Immediately keep this bowl on top of the dal and cover it with a lid tightly for one minute.

The charcoal will infuse its smoke in the dal makhani.

24. Stir again. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and a few teaspoons of cream.