Dal Makhani
Buttery Black Dal
Prep Time
34 minutes warm-up time, 40 minutes cook time
Number of Servings
16 cups (serves 10)
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sabut urad (whole, dried black dal with skin), picked over and washed
  • 1 cup rajmah (dried red kidney beans), picked over and washed
  • 2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
  • 2 pinches hing (asafoetida) (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
  • 1 cassia leaf (or 3 bay leaves)
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 medium yellow or red onion, puréed
  • 1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, puréed
  • 6 cloves of garlic, puréed
  • 2 to 8 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, stems removed and thinly sliced
  • [q:1/2] cup unsalted tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp red chile powder or cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cardamom seeds, ground (optional)
  • [q:1/4] cup kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), lightly hand crushed to release flavor
  • 2 Tbsp salt
  • 10 cups water, for cooking
  • [q:1/2] cup cream (dairy, or alternative, like cashew)
Directions
  1. Soak the urad dal and rajmah together in ample boiled, hot water for at least 1 hour or in room temperature water for 6 hours to overnight. Drain and discard the water.
  2. Place the inner pot in your Instant Pot. Select the SAUTE setting and adjust to MORE. When the indicator flashes HOT, add the ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add the hing, cumin seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, and cassia or bay leaves. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the seeds turn reddish brown. Because the oil pools to the sides, push the spices into the oil along the border of the inner pot so they can cook fully.
  3. Add the fenugreek seeds. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Be careful not to overcook, as these seeds get bitter quickly.
  4. Add the onions. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the ginger, garlic, and fresh chiles. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Press CANCEL. Add the tomato paste, garam masala, ground cumin, coriander, red chile powder, cardamom, kasoori methi, salt, urad dal/rajmah, and cooking water. Stir.
  7. Lock the lid into place and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the sealing position (upwards). Press the PRESSURE COOK button and then press the PRESSURE LEVEL button until the panel reads HIGH. Adjust the cook time to 40 minutes.
  8. Once the cooking is complete, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then manually release the remaining pressure, press CANCEL, and remove the lid. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and cassia or bay leaves or leave them in for flavor and eat around them. All the other spices are edible. Gently fold in the cream and stir. Serve with basmati rice or Indian bread like roti or naan.
Nutrition Info
Made with ghee, yellow onion, serrano chiles, cashew milk: 427 Calories, 25 g Protein, 8 mg Cholesterol, 72 g Carbohydrates, 5 g Total sugars (0 g Added sugars), 13 g Fiber, 6 g Total fat (2 g sat), 359 mg Sodium, [nut:5] Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Folate, [nut:4] Vitamin B6, Iron, Phosphorus, [nut:3] Zinc, [nut:2] Magnesium, Potassium, [nut:1] Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin C, Vitamin E