This is a family favorite staple recipe that is my go to whenever in a pinch. Even though it seems to be a cumbersome dish to make, its fairly easy with just 7 ingredients including salt.
This dal makhani recipe is made without using any onion and garlic and thus is suitable for jain diet.
What is Dal Makhani?
Dal Makhani is a famous dish of North India which is made with whole urad dal, some rajma and lot of butter. It is probably the most common lentil based recipe found in Indian restaurants and homes alike. The dal was originally made by simmering it overnight in Indian clay oven called tandoor. But modern gadgets like pressure cooker and instant pots have reduced the cooking time to hours.
Why is dal makhani called so?
Dal means lentils and makhani comes from the word “makhan” which means butter in Hindi. The dish derives its name from the urad dal that is used in it and also the copious amount of butter used in the recipe.
Which dal is used for making dal makhani?
The lentils used for making dal makhani are whole black urad dal and rajma or kidney beans.
Step by Step Recipe
- This is a simple recipe uses just uses 5 key ingredients to make the delicious Dal Makhani.
2. Grind the tomatoes and ginger into a fine paste. You can add little water if needed.
3. Once the paste has been grinded then heat oil in a pressure cooker or an instant pot in the saute mode. Add the grinded paste of tomato and ginger into the hot oil.
4. Add 3 tbsp Kitchen King Masala to the paste being cooked.
5. Cook it well and keep stirring until the water has evaporated and the oil separates from the paste.
6. Add salt as per your taste and the urad dal and rajma that you have washed and cleaned already.
7. Add 4 cups of water and then let it cook for 30 mins in the instant pot or cook for 10-12 whistles in the pressure cooker.
8. Let the pressure release and open. Mash the dal well so that it releases the starch and gives it a thick creamy texture.
9. Serve it with some butter as per your taste. This step is optional but there is no fun in Dal Makhani without Makhan i.e. butter. 🙂
Tips and Tricks
- For better texture its even better if you can soak the dal overnight so that its nice and soft already and ready to be cooked. The soaking step is optional but does make a difference to the flavor and texture. But in all honesty, I rarely remember to soak my dals so if you haven’t then don’t fret too much over it.
- Wash the black urad dal really well, the more you clean the better the color would be.
- Make sure that you mash the lentils well as that will give the creamy texture to your Dal Makhani.
- All the flavors in this recipe come from the spice blend i.e. Kitchen King Masala. Make sure you do not substitute it. It can be easily found online as well at any Indian grocery store.
Recipe Card
Dal Makhani Without Onion and Gralic – Jain Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cup Whole Urad Dal
- 1/2 cup Rajma
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 inch ginger
- 3 tbsp Kitchen King Masala
- 3 tbsp Oil
Instructions
- Grind the tomatoes and ginger into a fine paste. You can add little water if needed.
- Once the paste has been grinded then heat oil in a pressure cooker or an instant pot in the sauté mode.
- Add the grinded paste of tomato and ginger into the hot oil.
- Add Kitchen King Masala and Salt as per your taste.
- Keep Stirring it well until the oil separates.
- Add the Urad Dal and Rajma that you have already cleaned and washed.
- Add 4 cups of water and let it cook for 30 mins in the instant pot or 10-12 whistles in the pressure cooker.
- Let the pressure release and then mash the dal well for a creamy texture.
- Serve it with a dollop of butter.
Hay Deepti ji aap ki recipe ki hisab se humne banaya tha bahut achcha banaa thanks for your advice
Hey, thanks for the clearly presented recipe. Excited to try it out.