Dal Makhani

Dal makhani is the dish that made Punjabi cooking famous outside India. Black lentils and kidney beans, cooked down slowly with butter and cream until they turn silky.

The name says it: makhani means buttery. There is no shortcut version. What makes it is time — in restaurants the pot sits on low heat overnight.

Serves 6
Soaking time: overnight

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole black lentils (urad dal)
1/2 cup red kidney beans
7 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger, grated
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin seed
Salt

To finish

Fresh cilantro
A swirl of cream

Method

Soak

Rinse the lentils and kidney beans and soak them overnight in plenty of cold water, at least 8 hours. They roughly double in size, so use a big bowl.

Cook the pulses

Drain, rinse, and put them in a pot with fresh water — about three times their volume.

Add half the garlic and the grated ginger. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover partially, and simmer.

This takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a regular pot, or about 40 minutes in a pressure cooker. They are ready when the lentils crush easily between your fingers and have started to break down on their own. That breakdown is what gives the dish its texture — undercooked lentils stay separate and grainy.

Add water as needed. It should stay loose, never dry.

Build the flavor

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a pan. Add the cumin seed and let it sizzle for 20 seconds.

Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant.

Stir in the chili powder and tomato paste. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the paste darkens and the butter separates at the edges.

Bring it together

Add this mixture to the cooked lentils along with the remaining butter and a good pinch of salt.

Simmer uncovered on very low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring now and then and mashing some of the lentils against the side of the pot with a spoon. Longer is better — an hour is not too much. This is where it turns from soup into dal makhani.

Stir in the cream and garam masala in the last 5 minutes. Adding garam masala early cooks off its aroma.

Taste for salt.

Serve with a swirl of cream, a scatter of cilantro, and naan or rice.

Chef’s notes

Urad dal is not the same as green or brown lentils. It is sold as whole black gram in Indian markets and online, and it is the one ingredient here you cannot substitute.

Like most slow-cooked dishes, it is better the second day. Reheat gently with a splash of water.