Dal Makhani / Black Lentils in a creamy sauce..

The best part about blogging instead of writing for a magazine is that you can miss deadlines...deadlines are set by me but as always , there are 10 deadlines set by me and blogging is the last priority..way  way below getting my resume done, looking for a job, keeping the house in a semblance of order and feeding the kids and spouse. So ever since I wanted to post all my grill recipes, I haven't grilled.. the weather turned hot and the unventilated, closed room kitchen started slowly roasting me as I tried grilling in the oven. So I will keep adding to that when I grill outside.
Meanwhile, all the blog events keep happening around me and I gleefully check out the round up, not very guilty about reading without contributing my two cents .
But this time I had a Dal Makhani lying around in my photos so am posting this classic yet staple lentil/dal recipe. This is my entry to the ever popular "My Legume Love Affair" , started by Susan and this month hosted byA Little Bit of Spain - My Legume Love Affair 24

Dal Makhani is literally "lentils in a buttery sauce" and is also called Maa Ki Daal, meaning "mom's lentils. This is one recipe I don't associate with my mom. so definitely not my ma/mom ki dal.
This dish conjures up images of all the wonderful meals from the dhabhas/street cafes (for want of better term,) of Delhi, especially any kebab/tandoori place such Karims. Bombay's Delhi Durbar, Shalimar kind of  restaurants too have a wonderful dal makhani.
Ideal combination..tandoori chicken or tikka kebab and pickled onions and  tandoori naan to dip into the creamy buttery dal makhani. Veg lovers will take offense, so let me add that it tastes equally awesome with some jeera rice.:))

Sometimes, this dal is a dull brownish grey in color and at times, I have seen a rich reddish colored makhani. I keep trying out the recipes from everywhere to recreate the perfect taste.(which of course since its from different memories of eating out, can never be matched). It all started with a recipe from the Prestige Pressure cooker book for Dal Makhani!! For a long time, I followed that recipe, whcih didn't have an ounce of tomatoes in it , till I started tasting tomatoes at all the restaurants. (and of course, at my friend S's house, who makes a really awesome Ma ki Dal.)

This is a mish mash of all the recipes that I have tried out over time. I stopped at this recipe for the last few times, but who knows, in some years, it may change again. Over time, I have moved onto the reddish dal makhani and that's the recipe outlined here. Depending on whether you use fresh tomatoes or paste and the type of the red chili powder(hot, paprika or Kashmiri chili powder) the color will vary.


You Will Need:
To pressure cook:
Whole Black Gram - 1 Cup
Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram -2 tbsp(optional)
Red Kidney Beans (Rajma)- 1/4 Cup
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tablespoon
Ghee/oil- 1 tsp

For the Seasoning:
Green Chillies -3
Garlic -1 1/2 tbsp chopped
Onions - 1 1/2 cup chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes-(300 gms) 3 small ones or 2/3 can of 300 gm of crushed tomatoes(no flavorings added)
Toamato Puree -2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder -1tbsp
Garam Masala Powder -2 tsp
Kasuri Methi Powder -1 tsp
Salt  to taste
Oil : 2-3 tsp

For garnish
Butter : 2 tbsp
Fresh Cream -1/2 cup

Chopped Coriander - a handful


Preparation:

Soak the black gram, kidney beans and the Bengal gram overnight in lots of water. Rinse and wash off the water as this is said to contain the gases. Place the beans in the pressure cooker with 4 cups of water. Then add 1 tsp. of ginger garlic paste and the teaspoon of  ghee to this mix and pressure cook till the first whistle. Then lower the heat and further cook for 10-15 minutes. If they are not cooked, cook for some more time.  Then using the back of a wooden spoon, mash the lentils to a chunky state.
Heat oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in a saute pan and fry the chopped onions, garlic and green chillies till the onions are translucent. Add the remaining ginger garlic, saute and after a minute add  the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and saute till the tomatoes are completely cooked they start moving together as a mass. Add the canned tomatoes judiciously as the flavors can dominate easily. Add the tomato puree and the red chili and garam masala powders and saute. Then add the lentils, more water and bring it all to a liquidy form. Add salt to taste and simmer for ab20 minutes on low heat with constant stirring. When the flavors seem melded in, crush the kasuri methi in the palm of your hand and add it in.  Drop in the remaining 1(or even 2 tbsp) of butter and cream. Do not let it boil on high heat after cream in added. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.

For a weeknight, you could make a lighter version of the dal avoiding all the high fat butter and cream. Follow the procedure, but instead of butter and ghee, use olive oil. Add just one tablespoon of butter all together, just in the end and add 1/2 cup of milk instead of cream. You could fold in 1/4 cup of hung yogurt(or Greek Yogurt) in the end to give it the creaminess. Take care to remove from flame before adding yogurt as it tends to split on heat.

 Punjabi Garam Masala is best made at home. It stores well for a  month and then you can remake it.  I use Anita's recipe sometimes and my mom's recipe sometimes which goes lighter on the moti elaichi and uses regular elaichi instead.

This is Anita's recipe.
Punjabi Garam Masala

4 parts moti elaichi /Black Cardamom(100 gm)
1 part zeera (cumin)
1/2 part cinnamon (or cassia bark, if cinnamon is not available)
1/2 part black peppercorns
1/2 part cloves
5-6 tejpatta (not bay leaves!)

Measure out the spices and dry roast in a medium hot skillet till it slowly starts smoking. Or in a hurry , use the microwave for roasting.. roast in a microwave safe plate for 2 minutes. Cool and then grind to a powder (as fine as possible) and store in a dry jar.