Dal Makhani
India's favorite lentil soup. Loaded with cream and deliciousness.
access_time
60 minutes
local_dining
4 servings
- 2 cup onions (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon ginger (finely chopped fresh)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cardamom (ground)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½teaspoon ground-red-chili powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon oil oil (sunflower or safflower, or other neutral)
- 1 ½teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 1 ½teaspoon cumin (ground)
- ¾teaspoon garam masala
- ½cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (whisked)
- 2 tablespoon adzuki beans beans (choti rajma)
- ¾cup black gram beans (whole / sabat urad)
- 2 tablespoon chana dal (split chickpeas)
- 1 ½cup tomatoes (finely chopped - canned is fine)
Method
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1. Combine the legumes with 4 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
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2. Turn off the heat and cover the pot; let the legumes soak for 2 hours.
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3. Add the whole-milk yogurt, 1 cup onions, tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, chili and salt to the pot and bring to a boil once more.
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4. Cook, partly covered, over low heat for 90 minutes, or until the dal is very soft.
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5. Turn off the heat and use an Indian mathani (see related article) to purée the dal for about 1 minute; it should be saucy but not soupy.
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6. To make the tadka, heat the oil in a small saucepan over high heat.
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7. When the oil is hot, add the remaining cup of onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
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8. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until medium brown.
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9. Turn off the heat and stir in the cumin and garam masala.
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10. Transfer the dal to a large bowl and cover with the low-fat yogurt; top with tadka, stir gently and serve.