• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Raks Kitchen
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe index
  • Lunch ideas
  • About Me
  • Amazon Store
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe index
    • Lunch ideas
    • About Me
    • Amazon Store
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Γ—

    Home Β» Recipes Β» Dal Recipes

    Dal makhani recipe

    June 15, 2009 by Raks Anand 63 Comments / Jump to Recipe

    Dal makhani is a rich gravy made with black gram - whole urad dal (with skin) as main ingredient and rich ingredients like butter and cream to make it tasty and delicious.

    dal makhani recipe
    Dal makhani

    Since this is a rich curry with legumes, better to have it during day time for easy digestion and to burn the calories!

    Goes well with steamed rice and flatbreads too.

    Jump to:
    • About
    • Method
    • Recipe card

    I was in a short unsaid break for a week and so could not update blog and missed some posts of yours too!

    That’s because my parents are here with me, and still we have a lots of things to share!

    Yesterday somehow I managed to take pictures and post it. My friend Sangeeta who I always refer when I make or try something north Indian dish is away.

    Then too, I chased her in mobile and took the recipe from her and tried, Dal Makhani. I have updated this post with full video, the method might be slightly varying.

    About

    Dal makhani is popular dish in a restaurant menu and widely prepared at home too. Originated from New Delhi, also known as maa ki dal.

    For a perfect creamy texture, make sure to cook the dal soft and as it is simmered, mash it slightly.

    Cream, butter adds on to the richness. It is said in restaurants, they simmer this dal overnight for an absolutely delicious results.

    Method

    1. Soak urad dal, rajma for minimum 8 hours or overnight. Next day, discard the water and pressure cook till done.

    Say 5 whistles in medium flame, with enough water(water level should be above the dal).

    Add a pinch asafoetida (hing) while pressure cooking these dals for extra flavour. 

    Cooked dal

    2. Drain and save the excess water and mash the dal with ladle. Chop onion, grind the tomato and keep aside.

    You can add chopped tomato too. Heat butter in a heavy bottomed vessel, add the To Temper table Ingredients.

    Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and fry till golden brown. In goes slit green chilli.

    Whole spice,Ginger garlic

    3. Add the onion and fry till golden and soft.

    Fry onion

    4. Pour the ground tomato puree.

    Tomato paste

    5. Add the red chilli and coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and fry till oil separates

    Masala powders

    6. Now add the water drained from the dal and boil for 2-3 minutes..

    Boil with water drained from dal

    7. Add the mashed dal and mix well.

    Add mashed dal

    8. Finally, add cream, butter at this stage and adjust the consistency.

    Add cream/milk

    9. Cook in low flame for couple of minutes and stir in between.

    Simmer

    Finally garnish with ginger strips and butter/cream and serve with roti/nan/rice.

    dal makhani

    Recipe card

    dal makhani recipe
    Print Pin
    5 from 2 votes

    Dal makhani recipe

    Dal makhani is a rich gravy made with black gram - whole urad dal (with skin) as main ingredient and rich ingredients like butter and cream to make it tasty and delicious.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Indian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes
    Soaking time 8 hours
    Servings 4 people
    Cup measurements

    Ingredients

    • Β½ cup Black gram Whole urad dal
    • 3 tablespoon Rajma
    • 1 Red chilli powder
    • 2 Green chilli
    • 1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
    • β…› teaspoon Turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
    • 1 Onion
    • 1 Tomato large
    • ΒΌ cup Cream or Β½ cup milk
    • 1 tablespoon Butter
    • 1 teaspoon Ginger finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic minced

    To temper

    • 1 inch Cinnamon
    • 2 Cloves
    • 1 Bay leaves
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
    • 1 tablespoon Butter as needed
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Soak urad dal, rajma for minimum 8 hours or overnight. Next day, discard the water and pressure cook till done.
    • Say 5 whistles in medium flame, with enough water(water level should be above the dal).
    • Add a pinch asafoetida (hing) while pressure cooking these dals for extra flavour.
    • Drain and save the excess water and mash the dal with ladle. Chop onion, grind the tomato and keep aside.
    • You can add chopped tomato too. Heat butter in a heavy bottomed vessel, add the To Temper table Ingredients.
    • Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and fry till golden brown. In goes slit green chilli.
    • Add the onion and fry till golden and soft.
    • Pour the ground tomato puree.
    • Add the red chilli and coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and fry till oil separates
    • Now add the water drained from the dal and boil for 2-3 minutes..
    • Add the mashed dal and mix well.
    • Finally, add cream, butter at this stage and adjust the consistency.
    • Cook in low flame for couple of minutes and stir in between.

    Video

    Notes

    Rajma takes more time than urad dal to get soaked. Choose red variety rajma for easy cooking.After adding cream, it should be cooked in low flame. If not adding cream, you can add milk in place of water and just butter is enough for richness.Stir in between every now and then to avoid dal getting burnt at the bottom of the pan.
    YoutubeDo you like short videos? Subscribe now!
    InstagramMention @rakskitchen or tag #rakskitchen if you have tried this recipe.

    Other Dal recipes | Indian lentils

    • matki dal recipe
      Matki dal recipe | Moth beans curry
    • butter-dal-fry-recipe
      Butter dal fry recipe, Rich & Creamy
    • mango dal
      mango dal recipe, Mamidikaya pappu
    • lasooni dal tadka
      Lasooni dal tadka recipe, Easy dal recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mangala Bhat

      June 15, 2009 at 2:12 am

      Wowowow ..Cool ..I love dal makani ...my fav ! hey looks soo rich and yummy ! Nice clicks too

      Reply
    2. meeso

      June 15, 2009 at 2:13 am

      Omg... I'm making this tomorrow! Your recipe seems very easy and it looks so delicious!

      Reply
    3. Priti

      June 15, 2009 at 2:14 am

      Looks yum n perfect...

      Reply
    4. Kalai

      June 15, 2009 at 2:56 am

      This looks amazing! Enjoy spending time with your parents! πŸ™‚

      Reply
    5. DEESHA

      June 15, 2009 at 4:19 am

      This looks absolutely delicious ... I love this

      Reply
    6. Prathibha

      June 15, 2009 at 4:37 am

      I love this...Nice n creamy.....Enjoy time wid ur parents..

      Reply
    7. Chitra

      June 15, 2009 at 4:54 am

      Hmm, looks good..have rajma @home..will try this 4 sure:)Enjoy with uncle , aunty:)

      Reply
    8. LG

      June 15, 2009 at 7:25 am

      OMG..looks sooo tempting πŸ™‚ I want to have that bowl of dal and little rice for my lunch πŸ˜€

      Reply
    9. jeyashrisuresh

      June 15, 2009 at 7:33 am

      We all love dal makani.almost i follow the same method except using cinnamon and bay leaf.pictures as usual,amazing.enjoy ur time with ur parents.

      Reply
    10. Kitchen Flavours

      June 15, 2009 at 10:57 am

      Oh wow love that creamy and silky texture....Iam ready with my rotis...parcel that dal bowl....awesome color and yummylicious....

      Reply
    11. rekhas kitchen

      June 15, 2009 at 2:02 pm

      wow dal makhani my favorite dal looks so creamy yum yum.

      Reply
    12. TBC

      June 15, 2009 at 2:10 pm

      The DM looks so rich and creamy! I will refer to this the next I make this dish. I always have a problem getiing the texture right.

      Reply
    13. Happy cook

      June 15, 2009 at 3:12 pm

      I love dal makhani and this looks so so creamy yummy delicous.

      Reply
    14. Laavanya

      June 15, 2009 at 3:18 pm

      Oh that looks perfect Raks.. i love dhal makhani too so creamy and good. Have fun with your parents.

      Reply
    15. Ann

      June 15, 2009 at 3:29 pm

      Wow.. Perfect picture Rak's. It's so tempting,looks so comforting and healthy too.

      Reply
    16. Priya

      June 15, 2009 at 3:33 pm

      Rich and prefect dal makhani...looks too delicious Raks!

      Reply
    17. Gita

      June 15, 2009 at 3:44 pm

      What lovely pictures! The dish looks so tempting andd gorgeous πŸ™‚

      Reply
    18. Cilantro

      June 15, 2009 at 4:03 pm

      Dal Mmakhani looks great. You are blogging when your parents are here??? If it was me, I would have happily gone on a break until my parents leave. Have a nice time...

      Reply
    19. raaji

      June 15, 2009 at 5:55 pm

      vvooooo...dal makhani...so rich with lots of cream...just rotis are missing..

      Reply
    20. Viki's Kitchen

      June 15, 2009 at 8:54 pm

      Dal makhani explained perfectly. Thanks for this lovely recipe.

      Reply
    21. Uma

      June 15, 2009 at 9:15 pm

      looks gorgeous!! I never tried it at home, but tasted many times in the restaurants! Thanks for the mouth-watering recipe πŸ™‚

      Reply
    22. jayasri

      June 15, 2009 at 11:08 pm

      wow!, cool, absolutely perfect, anytime I love this, pictures are perfect and good explanation, you really have got lot of patience dear, step aby step photos and explanation..., enjoy ur time with ur parents...

      Reply
    23. Pavithra

      June 16, 2009 at 4:46 am

      Wow this is my fav.. lovely pic as usual. looking perfect and creamy..

      Reply
    24. Doloncookbook

      June 16, 2009 at 11:26 am

      Wow ... delicious recipe & the picture is really great .

      Reply
    25. Bharathy

      June 16, 2009 at 12:02 pm

      Lovely curry!..V likes it a lot though I have not tried yet πŸ™‚

      Reply
    26. Nithya Praveen

      June 16, 2009 at 12:34 pm

      One of my fav one! Lovely clicks too......u made it sound so easy.thanks for sharing:)

      Reply
    27. Parita

      June 16, 2009 at 2:28 pm

      My favorite, looks creamy!!

      Reply
    28. A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine

      June 16, 2009 at 2:35 pm

      Yummyyyy...Looks so delicious & creamy..

      Reply
    29. Valarmathi

      June 16, 2009 at 7:15 pm

      Looks rich and delicious.

      Reply
    30. Ramya Vijaykumar

      June 16, 2009 at 10:22 pm

      creamy tasty and a delicious dish!!! Makhani has come out well, you made it like a pro!!!

      Reply
    31. TBC

      June 16, 2009 at 10:49 pm

      I made this...tastes really good and looks as good as yours. πŸ˜‰
      Thank you for the recipe. Your recipes always work well for me.:)

      Reply
    32. Ramya Bala

      June 17, 2009 at 12:53 am

      wow..yummy post raji...

      Reply
    33. RAKS KITCHEN

      June 17, 2009 at 9:44 am

      Thankyou TBC for your feed back :))

      Reply
    34. AnuSriram

      June 17, 2009 at 8:25 pm

      Looks yummy and rich!

      Reply
    35. Bhawna

      June 17, 2009 at 11:18 pm

      Very Nice click, Dal Makhani looks absolutely delicious.

      Reply
    36. Varsha Vipins

      June 18, 2009 at 7:09 pm

      aww..tempting me to go right now n try this..but I have my urad dal in white color..tat green color is confusing me..:(

      Reply
    37. Aysha

      June 19, 2009 at 4:14 pm

      The pics looks superb.Nice recipe!

      Reply
    38. Home Cooked Oriya Food

      June 19, 2009 at 5:24 pm

      Yummy! Its looks perfect and must have tasted great too...

      Reply
    39. My Taste Heaven

      June 20, 2009 at 3:06 pm

      yum yum~~~

      Reply
    40. meeso

      June 21, 2009 at 2:41 am

      I made this and it was AWESOME! Absolutely perfect recipe! My daughter and I ate it up and loved every bite... Thanks for sharing your recipe πŸ™‚

      Reply
    41. Hari Chandana

      June 29, 2009 at 10:12 am

      Wowww...
      looks delicious... perfect presentation.. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    42. Aysha

      June 29, 2009 at 5:53 pm

      Hey the Dal Makhani looks so creamy n delicious...Would have enjoyed na...

      Reply
    43. Priya

      July 03, 2010 at 4:19 pm

      Sorry, if I am wrong...Just a beginner in cooking.
      In the ingredients, shouldn't it be whole moong dal instead of whole urad dal?...In the pics, I see that it is whole moong dal

      Reply
    44. RAKS KITCHEN

      July 03, 2010 at 4:22 pm

      No priya,IT IS URAD DAL....in the picture it is the urad dal,I donno why,but after soaking the skin turned out to be dark green than black that time,but IT IS urad ...I have another recipe with whole moong dal,do check out πŸ™‚

      Reply
    45. Sudha

      December 02, 2010 at 3:36 pm

      Hi Raji,

      Today i prepared this dish n it was really delicious.Its going well not only with chapathi but also with rice.

      Reply
    46. RAKS KITCHEN

      December 02, 2010 at 3:36 pm

      Thanks sudha for feedback,I too love a lot with basmati rice πŸ™‚

      Reply
    47. Sudha

      December 03, 2010 at 7:55 am

      Hi Raji,

      Today only i tried this dish n it turned out well.My hubby also liked it a lot.It was really tasty n good n was nice with the rice also

      Reply
    48. Ms. analyzer

      August 27, 2012 at 12:16 am

      Hello,

      do u know where can we get cream ? i checked in mustafa and little india both but could not find....

      Reply
    49. RAKS KITCHEN

      August 27, 2012 at 12:37 am

      Sure you can find it in Mustafa where they keep curd and all those things. I Saw tinned cream (nestle) in fair price where they keep cheese and all. There is also one brand called emborg in which you can find 'cooking cream' It is in fairprice.

      Reply
    50. Anna

      June 01, 2013 at 1:35 am

      Wow I tried this recipe. It came out very well. Thanks forsharing a lovely and delicious recipe

      Reply
    51. Anna

      June 01, 2013 at 1:35 am

      Wow,I tried this recipe. It came out really well just like restaurant taste.

      Reply
    52. Akshata R

      August 06, 2013 at 2:46 pm

      Hi,

      Can you please tell me how to m
      ake cream at home plz....???

      Reply
    53. akshaya

      April 10, 2014 at 3:07 pm

      hi, i have skimmed milk at home. can i use it in this recipe? will it taste good? btw, its boiled milk only right?

      Reply
    54. Raks anand

      April 10, 2014 at 3:19 pm

      not sure. you can try. If the milk is homogenous and pasturised milk then you can add as such

      Reply
    55. govt

      July 08, 2014 at 1:51 pm

      can i use the dal without skin?

      Reply
    56. Padma Raamkanna

      November 15, 2014 at 11:20 am

      Hi Raks,
      Is whip cream and cooking cream same? If yes, can i use whip cream in this receipe?

      Reply
    57. Raks anand

      November 15, 2014 at 11:23 am

      No I dont think both are same, use nestle tinned or tetra pack cream. Or available fresh cream

      Reply
    58. Galina Raman

      August 16, 2015 at 8:20 am

      You have mentioned, in the Dal Makhani recipe:

      Cinnamon/Pattai and
      Cloves/Lavangam.

      Actually Cinnamon is Lavangap Pattai. Cloves is krambu.

      Reply
    59. annareith

      October 19, 2015 at 3:14 pm

      After soaking the dhal, do you throw away the water and add new water to pressure cook it? Thx.

      Reply
    60. vallish

      October 27, 2017 at 3:54 am

      Hi, what is your usual measurement of "1 cup" for rice or dal or curd that you mention in any of your recipes?
      BTW, awesome recipes, every single one I have tried has come out perfectly πŸ™‚

      Reply
    61. Raks anand

      October 27, 2017 at 4:02 am

      my one cup is 240 ml πŸ™‚

      Reply
    62. Jan

      August 09, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      Hi how do i subscribe

      Reply
      • Raks Anand

        August 09, 2020 at 5:43 pm

        Click on this link to subscribe : https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=RaksKitchen

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Raks anand

    Hi, I'm Rajeswari Vijayanand! I am the person behind Rakskitchen, sharing recipes with pictures & videos.

    More about me β†’

    Popular

    • eggless-donut-recipe
    • medhu vadai
    • ABC-juice
    • sakkarai pongal recipe

    Ram Navami Recipes

    • cucumber kosambari recipe
    • carrot kosambari
    • panakam recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Links

    • Privacy Policy
    • FAQ

    Also from Rakskitchen

    • Rakskitchen Tamil

    Contact

    • [email protected]

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright Β© 2023 Rakskitchen