Dal Makhani: The Mother of all dals

Ever wondered why no matter how many times you cook Dal Makhni at home, it just never seems to taste as rich and flavourful as the one you order at restaurants? Well, for starters, you need to be incredibly patient. Your wait does not end once your overnight soaked lentils are put into a cooker. Be prepared for the fact that the richness comes from slow cooking and only a cooker equipped to doing so will give you the desired results.

Dal Makhni
Ingredients

1 cup whole black lentils (whole black urad dal)
1/4 cup Bengal gram
½ cup kidney beans
1 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 tsp green chillies, sliced thinly
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 medium red onion
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
3 tbsp butter (or 1-2 tsp of vegetable oil)
2-3 cloves
2” cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf (tej patta)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup cream (coconut milk to make it vegan)
Salt to taste and coriander to garnish

Method
Soak the lentils and kidney beans overnight. Rinse them well in cold water. Cook them in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. The slow, long cooking enhances the flavour for this dish. Cook until cooked, almost mushy. Take a potato masher or a ladle and mash the lentils well. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, add butter (or 1 tsp oil) along with cloves, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, cumin-coriander powder, bay leaf, ginger-garlic paste, chillies and onions. Sauté until aromatic and onions gets soft.

Add the tomato puree, close the lid and cook for five minutes until the raw tomato smell leaves. Add the lentil mixture, reduce the heat to simmer, add salt and close the lid. Slow cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the lentils from sticking to the bottom. Add the fenugreek leaves along with cardamom powder, stir and then add the cream. Cook for 5 minutes more and serve hot garnished with naan or roti.