After Eid festivities and meaty dawats, we all crave for simple food. A bowl of boiled rice with warmdaaltopped with a tempering tarkais my comfort food and I am sure many out there share the same craving after Eid.  No matter how much I love and enjoy Biryani, Chinese or burgers, in the end I always crave for daal chawal.

Daal (lentils), is one of our staple food cooked in every household. Different cooking combinations and techniques yield numerous variations of daal. Daal, one or in combination is always cooked with simple spices and then it is tempered with a tarkajust before serving. Tempering adds taste and aroma. Consistency of daalmatters a lot and ideally it should have a thick creamy texture with a pouring consistency however, everyone has their own preference.

DAAL MAKHANI, is a very traditional North Indian recipe. From special occasions to festivals, weddings to restaurants, daal makhani is extremely delicious and globally liked. It is traditionally made with black whole mash(Urad) daal,with or without kidney beans. The daalis slowly cooked in a tomato-based curry. Longer it cooks the richer the texture. .

My recipe has a little tweak to the original version. Instead of black mashdaal, I used whole masoordaaland added Kidney Beans (lal lobia). The combination of these two gives a rich texture and a unique taste to DaalMakhani.  Tomato curry adds the tangy flavor while butter and cream enhance the texture and richness which we really want. Lastly, I tempered the daalwith garlic, just before serving. 
Loved my take on DaalMakhani. I made this recipe for my friends on our EidDawatand it was appreciated and liked by everyone over every other dish !!

Preparation time: overnight soaking of lentils
Cooking time: 2hrs
Serving: 4-6 persons

Recipe:

  • Whole Masoor Daal – 1 cup
  • Kidney beans – ½ cup
  • Onion – 1
  • Tomatoes – 2
  • Ginger – 1 tsp
  • Salt – 1 tsp
  • Red Chili powder – 1 tsp
  • Butter – 2 tbsp
  • Cream – 4 tbsp
  • For Tarka:
  • Ghee – 2 tbsp
  • Garlic – 2 cloves

Method:

  1. Soak masoor daal and kidney beans overnight.
  2. Cook the daal and beans separately in pressure cooker which take around 8-10 whistles over a medium flame until its soft.
  3. For the curry, fry the onion until they are slightly pink, add the tomatoes. Once tomatoes are slight cooked, remove them from the oil in the pot and blend them into a fine paste.
  4. Add the blended tomatoes again into the oil, on medium heat let them cook. Also, add salt and red chili powder to the simmering curry.
  5. Once oil comes on top, and the curry is cooked (ek jan hu jaye masala); add the boiled sabad masar and rajma into the curry along with half a cup of water.
  6. Let the daal simmer on slowest flame for 30 – 40 mins
  7. Add the butter and cream, give it a good mix and let it cook on dam again for 30 mins. The longer the daal cooks, the richer the texture.
  8. Prepare the tarka in a frypan, heat the ghee over medium heat, add garlic fry until it turns crispy brown and Pour the prepared tarka on simmering daal just before serving.
  9. Enjoy with boiled rice or naan/parathas.