Dal makhani is a dish that often captures the top spot in the list of favorite Indian dishes for many people. This dish was made famous by the ITC Maurya Group of Hotels in New Delhi.
Peshawari dal makhani is a modern take on the age-old lentil dal. Unlike other Indian dishes, which rely heavily on spices, this dish just requires some basic ingredients, time, and lots (lots!) of butter.
That said, if you are going to cook Peshawari dal makhani for the first time, you must keep the 3 T’s in mind: Technique, temperature, and timing.
Join me on my quest as I tell you all about the perfect peshawari dal makhani recipe.
Traditional peshawari dal makhani recipe
While there are tons of variations and recipes for peshawari dal makhani , there is one that stands out from the rest, and also produces the best results. The original recipe differentiates itself from others due to the inclusion of tomatoes, which make its texture incredibly creamy.
Ingredients
- Black gram (200 grams)
- Salt to taste
- 6-7 cups water
- Red kidney beans (40 grams)
- Cardamom
- Bayleaf
- Ginger garlic paste (1:4 ratio)
- Chili Powder (half a tablespoon)
- Garam masala powder (1 tablespoon)
- Dried fenugreek leaves (1 tablespoon)
- Oil
- Tomato purée (prepare it yourself for a better taste)
For garnishing
- ½ cup Fresh cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- Kasturi Methi
Cooking directions
- Start by taking black urad/lentils and red kidney beans into two separate bowls. In the bowl with black lentils, add some salt and mix thoroughly. You will notice that the salt sticks to the surface of the lentils. This helps create friction between your hands and gram when you start to rub it between your palm.
This gets rid of all the dirt that was previously present on the surface and also ensures that your dal turns out smooth without any lumps later on.
- Next up, take the kidney beans along with cleansed dal and soak it in 3 cup water overnight. Take out the beans from water once 6-10 hours have passed. You will notice a slight change in color and an increase in size.
- Then, take some cardamom (2), bay leaf (2-3) and some salt along with lentils and beans that you soaked previously. Put all this in a pressure cooker or a boiling pan (medium heat) and seal the lid for at least 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, take some ginger garlic paste and put it on a frying pan with some oil on top. Wait till the paste turns slightly brown and then start adding all the spices, i.e; garam masala powder, chilli powder and tomato puree. Stir this mixture on low flame for 10 minutes.
- Then, move back to the first boiling pan which has lentils in it and mash them using a masher or a flat strainer. This facilitates better aroma and flavor buildup inside the kidney beans and dal.
The longer you mash it, the better results you are likely to get. The threshold, however, is at least 20 minutes.
- Then, mix the contents of both the boiling pans together and let it cook for 30 more minutes.
- You will notice a gradual color change from dark brown to bright red. Then add half a cup cream and cultured butter and mash your dal for another 15 minutes.
- Lastly, grate some fenugreek leaves and pour it over the dal followed by gently mixing it.
- Your dal makhani is now ready to be served with a dash of butter and cream on top along with naan or rice.
Note: Make sure that the consistency of the ginger-garlic paste is watery. If not, you can also add 2-3 tbsp water so that the flavor is distributed evenly.
Alternative recipe for peshawari dal makhani
We have come up with an alternative dal makhani Oberoi style recipe for you which can easily be prepared at home with similar ingredients. However, this peshawari dal makhani recipe might suit your taste buds better if you are looking for the Amritsari dal makhani taste from Lahore.
Slow cooked dal makhni
- Take black lentils and red kidney beans in a bowl and add 2-3 cups of water in it and let it soak overnight at room temperature.
- On the day of peshawari dal makhani preparation, take a curry cooker/ fryer and add some oil, 1 bay leaf, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon cumin seeds in it. After you have added all the ingredients in the fryer, saute them slowly while stirring them with a spatula. After all the ingredients are sauted properly, add one finely chopped onion and cook it till it turns golden brown.
- Once the chopped onion turns brown, add one tablespoon of ginger garlic paste in it and cook well. Then add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now it’s time to introduce basic spices. Add ¾ tablespoon of chilli powder, ½ tablespoon of turmeric powder, one slit of green chilli, and one tablespoon salt. Once you have added all the spices, start mixing all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- After 2-3 minutes when you start noticing the oil getting seperated, add lentils and pulses along with 5 cups of water.
- Now it’s time to cover the fryer and cook the prepared mixture on slow heat for 2 hours. Once your dal makhani is completely cooked for 2 long hours, it is time to garnish it with cream, 1 tablespoon garam masala and ½ tablespoon of kasuri methi.
Serve with chapathi, naan, or rice and enjoy this magical blend of Indian spices and tradition. Another variation of this dish is the dal makhani kerala style which is known for its punchy taste and strong aroma.
I hope that this peshawari dal makhani recipe does justice to your taste buds. Thanks for reading!
