Dal Makhani

Everytime I visit a restaurant, there is a fifty percent chance that I would order Dal makhani. Without exception, it always comes down to a tie between Dal Tadka and Dal Makhani, except for those rare days when we opt for a Dal Bukhara.

A mix of black lentils and kidney beans cooked to a melt-in-the-mouth consistency and loaded with cream and butter, it is a dish that will send one running to the gym for the next few days. I personally feel quite motivated to work out after a having had a particularly sinful dinner. Coming back to the cooking process, it takes quite a bit of time to cook the lentils to that degree of desired softness. As an open pan method would necessitate hours, I without fail stick to my pressure cooker which makes it possible to wrap up the process in just under an hour.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

• 2/3 cup black lentils (urad dal)
• 1/4 cup kidney beans (rajma)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 1/2 tsp GG paste
• 1 medium sized tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
• 1/3 cup thick yogurt 
• 2 tbsp cream ( use more for a creamier texture )
• 1 inch cube of butter
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• cilantro for garnishing

Preparation - Wash and soak the black lentils and kidney beans overnight.

Chop the onion into small pieces. Grind the tomato into a puree.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the cumin seeds an allow to splutter.

Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent.

Follow with the GG paste and fry for 2-3 mins.

Add the powdered spices and fry for 30 seconds before adding the fresh tomato puree. Cook till the oil starts to separate from the tomatoes.

Wash and drain the soaked lentils. Add them to the pressure cooker along with salt, 21/2 cups water and the Kasuri methi. Cook for 7-8 whistles. Remove from flame and allow steam to escape naturally.

Return it to the burner, this time with the lid open. Allow it to simmer for 10-12 mins( take a dal masher and lightly mash the lentils while it is still on the burner). Add the beaten curd. and simmer for 5 mins before stirring in the fresh cream. Let it simmer for a minute or two before.

Finally add the butter and the cilantro just before removing from the flame.

Serve hot with roti/Naan or white rice.

Note - One can also cook the dals separately and then add to the onion tomato gravy. This method is advisable when the lentils are old or the tomatoes are too acidic/sour, both of which will increase the cooking time.

Dal Rozana (Harada Dali Recipe)

When I am neither fasting nor feasting, I prefer simple meals. A piping hot pot meal with some raita or rice/roti with dal, stir fried vegetables and roasted papad/pickle is enough to make my day. As i usually chop and store the vegetables on the weekends and use pressure cooker for cooking both the rice and dal, the meals take minimum time and effort. ( Tip for bachelors - In order to save time, use a separator to make the rice and dal at the same time. I used to do the same during my bachelor days.)

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 12-15 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup toor/arhar/harada dal, 1 small onion, 1/3 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 medium sized tomato, 1 tbs chopped coriander roots, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 whole red chillis, 1/5 tsp asafoetida, 2 tsp oil, 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to taste. (Optional-1 tbs coriander leaves for garnishing)

Preparation - Wash and clean the toor dal under running water. Keep is soaked for 2 hours.

Chop onion into thin long pieces. Finely chop the tomato.

Cooking - Transfer the toor dal to a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups water, salt and turmeric.

Close the lid and cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. Remove from flame and allow steam to escape before opening lid. Take a heavy spoon and swish it around to smoothen the dal.

Heat the oil in a tempering/tadka pan. Add broken red chilli, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once seeds start spluttering add the onions followed by the ginger garlic paste. Fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and coriander shoots. Fry till the tomatoes soften a bit.

Add the asafoetida and fry for 5 seconds. Pour it over the contents of the pressure cooker.

Put the pressure cooker over a low flame and allow the contents to come to a boil.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice/rotis.

Biri Chop ( Urad dal bonda )

Preparation time: 30-40 mins

Ingredients:
For the outer layer - 1 small cup chopa chada biri ( dehusked black lentil ), 2-3 tsp semolina, 5-6 crushed peppercorns, a pinch of baking powder, chopped green chillis, salt to taste, oil for deep frying.

For the stuffing - 2-3 medium sized potatoes ( boiled and peeled ), 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 medium sized onion ( finely chopped ), mustard and cumin seeds for tempering, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/5 tsp turmeric, 2-3 tsp chopped coriander leaves, fried peanuts/boiled yellow peas/green peas, 2-3 tbs chopped coconut pieces, 3-4 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation: Wash and soak the biri for 3-4 hours. Grind into a smooth thick paste in a mixer/grinder and keep aside for 3-4 hours to allow fermentation.

Just before frying, add the remaining ingredients to the batter and mix well. Add water if required to get the correct consistency. On dipping the balls, the batter should form a layer of 1-2 mm thickness.

Cooking: Heat 3-4 tsp oil in a wok. Add mustard-cumin seeds when the oil starts smoking. Follow with chopped onion and the grated ginger and garlic. Fry for 4-5 mins till the raw smell goes away.

Add the mashed potato along with chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Fry for 2-3 mins. Now add the fried peanuts/boiled peas, coconut pieces and chopped coriander. Fry for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat and keep aside till it is bearable to touch.

Make small balls out of the above.

Heat another deep vessel/wok with sufficient oil for deep frying. When the oil just starts to smoke, lower the heat.

Dip the potato balls in the batter and add to the wok few at a time. Fry on all sides to a medium brown colour.

Serve hot with ghuguni/chutney/ketchup.