Dal Makhani is a traditional Indian dish that’s most commonly served white rice and naan in Indian restaurants. The word “Dal Makhani” translates to buttery lentils, and it’s also known as Madras lentils. This article discusses Dal Makhani instant pot without soaking recipes.
Traditionally, Dal Makhani is made with a slow cooking process that takes about 10 to 12 hours. However, you can make this popular lentil dish quickly with a pressure-cooking method that involves an instant pot.
What Ingredients are Used to Make Dal Makhani?
Dal Makhani recipe is made with matpe beans or whole black urad dal along with a handful of kidney beans. As mentioned, most people soak the beans overnight or about 6-8 hours. The beans change their color as they soak water and become soft. However, if you’re in a hurry, you can use the instant pot pressure cooking method.
Other than dal and beans, pureed tomatoes and ginger garlic paste along with some spices, are used to give Dal Makhani its unique taste. You can adjust the spiciness of this dish by using less or more garam masala powder and red chili powder.
Dal Makhani offers a creamy consistency which is achieved by adding a lot of butter and cream. Lastly, you can garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve it with some lemon juice.
What Does Dal Makhani Taste Like?
As mentioned, Dal Makhani is one of the most popular dishes of Indian cuisine and offers an incredibly creamy and velvety smooth texture. You’ll immediately notice the yummy flavors of spices such as cayenne and garam masala that are masked by the richness of turmeric, coriander leaves, and cumin flavors.
Is Dal Makhani a Healthy Food?
Dal Makhani is a quite healthy food, thanks to its high plant protein content and fiber. You can also add this dish to your diet, even if you’re a vegetarian. However, if you want to keep natural fats and carbohydrates low, you’ll need to avoid consuming this recipe frequently. That’s because Dal Makhani contains fats and carbohydrates.
How to Make Dal Makhani Without Soaking Overnight?
If you want to make Dal Makhani at home, consider using the easy recipe discussed below to achieve the best results. The average cooking time of the dal makhani instant pot without soaking recipe is 1.5 hours.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Hand blender
- Instant Pot
Dal Makhani Ingredients
- Whole black urad dal: 1 cup
- Kidney beans: ¼ cup
- Fresh tomatoes: 2 medium-sized (pureed)
- Ginger paste: 1 tablespoon
- Garlic paste: 1.5 tablespoon
- Oil: 2 tablespoons
- Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
- Bay leaf (tej patta): 1
- Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
- Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
- Red chili powder: 1 teaspoon
- Garam masala powder: 1 teaspoon
- Butter: 1 teaspoon
- Heavy cream: 2 tablespoons
- Lemon juice and chopped cilantro for garnishing
- 3 cups of water
- A pinch of salt
Step by Step Instructions to Follow
- Place the urad dal and kidney beans on a rimmed baking sheet to remove debris and cracked beans. It’s critically important to perform this step because you’ll find many small stones that can ruin your Dal Makhani eating experience.
- Place urad dal and kidney beans in a colander and use fresh water to rinse them properly. This step will allow you to remove the remaining debris and damaged beans. Make sure that you are left with only the healthy beans to cook in your instant pot.
- Use the normal settings of your instant pot and turn on the saute mode.
- Let the instant pot get hot and then add oil.
- Add the cumin seeds to the pot once the oil is hot and let the seeds crackle.
- Add ginger-garlic paste along with bay leaf to the pot.
- Saute the mixture for several seconds and then add pureed tomatoes.
- Add chili powder along with all the remaining spices to the mixture.
- Add salt to the mixture according to your taste.
- Saute the mixture for 2-3 minutes and then add 3 cups of water.
- Use a spatula to deglaze the instant pot liner’s bottom and then beans and dal.
- Turn off the saute mode and lock the lock of the instant pot using the pressure knob to seal the mixture.
- Set the instant pot to high-pressure mode and let the dal and kidneys cook for 40-45 minutes.
- Allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid of the instant pot and give the mixture a quick mix.
- Taste dal and add garam masala or salt if needed according to your taste.
- You can also use your hand blender to achieve the creamy texture but this step is optional.
- Add butter and heavy cream to the mixture.
- Set the instant pot to saute mode again and cook the mixture for 5-8 minutes again.
- Remove the Dal Makhani from the instant pot and transfer it to the container that you want to use for serving.
- Your “dal makhani instant pot without soaking” dish is ready and you can serve the Dal Makhani with lemon juice.
Tips
- It’s important to cook dal and kidney beans for about 40 to 45 minutes if you’re using this recipe. On the other hand, if you’re using soaked beans and dal, you’ll need to cook them for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- While you can use chopped fresh tomatoes, using tomato puree or paste will provide you with better results.
- You can also use fenugreek leaves instead of garam masala powder.
What to Serve with Indian Dal Makhani?
Dal Makhani goes well with chapati, roti, and naan, and people also serve it with peas pulao, jeera rice, and brown rice. To make a complete meal, you can also add a few side dishes such as pickles, lentil crackers, and raita.
The Right Method to Store Leftover Dal Makhani
You can store Dal Makhani in your refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. In order to reheat the refrigerated Dal Makhani, just pour it into a saucepan and cook it on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. You can also use a microwave-safe pan to heat the refrigerated Dal Makhani in your microwave oven.
Keep in mind that your mind needs to add some water to your refrigerated Dal Makhani as it can dry up. You can also use the dried-up Dal Makhani to make stuffed paratha or flatbread.
Storing Dal Makhani in Freezer
Yes, you can also store your Dal Makhani in your freezer. However, you’ll need to make sure that you add it to your freezer once it comes to room temperature. Always label your zip lock bags or freezer-safe containers with a date while storing your Dal Makhani in the freezer.
Once you want to eat the frozen Dal Makhani, remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Then you can reheat it on the stovetop or microwave before eating. Dal Makhani will remain fresh for up to 3 months if you store it in your refrigerator.
Vegan-Style Dal Makhani
All legumes and lentils are gluten-free and vegan-friendly. You can use the same recipe discussed above to make it vegan-friendly by using vegan butter and plant oil like olive or coconut oil.
Instead of using heavy cream, you can use cashew paste or coconut cream. Using coconut cream is a more convenient method because you’ll need to use hot water to soak raw cashew for 20 – 30 minutes and then use your blender to make the cashew paste.
Can I Use Canned Dal or Beans for this Recipe?
Dal Makhani is usually made with dry dal and kidney beans. It’s easier to store dried dal and beans as compared to canned food, and they’re also more affordable. However, you can still use canned kidney beans for this recipe.
But you’ll need to adjust the cooking time and amount of freshwater because canned food is normally already cooked. It means that canned beans won’t absorb the same amount of freshwater as dried beans. So for the same recipe, you’ll need to use 2 to 2.5 cans of beans to make Dal Makhani.
Can I Make Dal Makhani without Soaking?
Yes, you can certainly make dal makhani without soaking urad dal and kidney beans. It’s probably the best part of using an instant pot. However, you’ll need to cook it for a longer period of time to achieve the same results.
How to Prepare Dal Makhani at Home?
You can follow the instant pot method discussed above to prepare Dal Makhani instant pot without soaking at home, and it’ll take about 1 to 1.5 hours.
How to Make Dal Makhani without Soaking Overnight?
You’ll need to use an instant pot that allows you to cook dal and beans under pressure, and you won’t need to perform the dal soaking overnight.
How Long to Soak Dal for Dal Makhani?
You’ll need to soak urad dal and kidney beans overnight or for about 6-8 hours. Not only will it help you to get rid of debris and residue, but it’ll also allow the dal and beans to absorb water and take less time to cook.
Do We Need to Soak Dal for Dal Makhani?
The Traditional way of cooking Dal Makhani is to use soaked lentils. However, you can use the instant pot method to avoid this additional step.
Which Urad Dal is Used for Dal Makhani?
Traditionally, skinned whole black urad dal along with a handful of kidney beans are used to make Dal Makhani.
Can We Make Dal Makhani with White Urad Dal?
You can make dal makhani with white urad dal. However, you won’t get the same thickness, creamier consistency, and flavor that Dal Makhani made with black urad dal offers. So, if you want to enjoy the traditional taste of Dal Makhani, it’s advisable to use black lentils.
Can We Make Dal Makhani with Split Urad Dal?
Yes, you can use split urad dal that comes with husks to make Dal Makhani instead of using whole black gram lentil or urad dal. Other than split urad dal, you can also use whole red lentils and beluga lentils to cook the same recipe.
It’s important to note that using any dal other than the whole black urad dal will produce a slightly different taste. However, the split urad dal with black skins will offer the most similar taste to the traditional Dal Makhani.
