Recipe from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook”
Adapted by Krysten Chambrot
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours, plus overnight soaking
- Rating
- 4(837)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In many ways, the electric pressure cooker’s moist environment was meant for Indian food: It cooks dried beans quickly, sometimes without even a soak, and is conducive to saucier dishes like this dal. Adapted from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook” (Knopf, 2019), this recipe is a relatively fast way to a rich, satisfying dish. You can make your own garam masala (see Tip), or simply use store-bought. Don’t skip the tarka: Thinly sliced onions are cooked in ghee until deep in color and then tossed with paprika and chile powder, adding a bright flavor that cuts through the rich dal. Serve it with Indian flatbreads, like naan, roti or parathas, though Ms. Jaffrey also recommends whole-wheat pita. —Krysten Chambrot
Featured in: Finding the Deliciousness in New York City
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1cup whole urad with skin (sabut ma)
- ½cup dried red kidney beans (rajma)
- 1cup puréed or strained tomatoes, or passata
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1large garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ to ½teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne, to taste
- Kosher salt
- ½cup heavy cream
- 1teaspoon garam masala (see Tip)
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed
- 2tablespoons peanut oil or ghee
- ½small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¼teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne
For the Dal
For the Tarka
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
313 calories; 15 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 292 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Prepare the beans: Wash urad and beans, and soak them overnight at room temperature, in water that covers them generously. Drain them.
Step
2
Put the beans into an electric pressure cooker. Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Close and seal the lid, then set to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, before letting the pressure release naturally. (If pressure still hasn’t released naturally after 15 minutes, quick-release the pressure.)
Step
3
As pressure releases, prepare the tarka: Put the oil or ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, arrange the onions in a single layer. Stir and fry them, turning now and then, until they turn reddish gold and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and chile powder, and remove from heat.
Step
4
Once the pressure has released, hit cancel to reset the pressure cooker. Open the lid carefully, venting the steam away from you. Stir the dal. Using a potato masher, crush the dal as much as you can. Taste, adding salt as needed.
Step
5
Select the sauté setting, and set to normal. Add the cream, garam masala and 1 tablespoon butter, and stir until dal reaches desired consistency. Transfer dal to a serving dish and add another dollop of butter on top. Top with tarka.
Tip
- To make your own garam masala, put 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon black cumin (shah zeera); 1 teaspoon whole cloves; 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick, broken up; and ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg into the container of a clean coffee or spice grinder, and grind as finely as possible. (The mix can be stored in a jar with a tight lid, away from dampness and light, for several months.) Cardamom seeds and black cumin can be found at Indian grocery stores. Use the freshest spices you can find because potency diminishes with time.
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out of 5
837
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Cooking Notes
Busick-Smith
I'll bite, what is "urad with skin?" I've looked at the recipe notes and don't see it... thank you anyone!
Nora
When I prepare dal, I make cashew cream in lieu of heavy cream. 3/4 cup raw cashews blended with 3/4 cup water. Delicious!
Lulu
The Urad is a small, black lentil. They almost look like mini black beans. I find them in Asian Markets.
jen
I made this with instant pot. I cooked the tarka first inside the IP and then the beans with all the masala. I substituted heavy cream with whole milk (for dal makhani) since I usually don’t have heavy cream whenever I wanted to make this. With IP, I don’t soak the beans. Cooked it for 30 min. It turned out great. My Indian husband loved it and almost polished it off.
jcp
In a pressure cooker-fry black cardamom in olive oil for a couple minutes. Add half-1 whole red onion chopped and fry til translucent. Add a few pieces of garlic chopped and a 2 inch piece of ginger chopped and cook a few minutes. Add a couple tsp ground turmeric and cook for a min. Salt throughout to taste. Add a can of chopped tomatoes and cook til juices dry up. Add 1 lb soaked kidney beans and water a little above beans. Cook 30 min. add garam masala and cilantro serve with rice and yogurt
Peregrine
This recipe is delicious & the first time I'd successfully made Dal Makkhani at home, after loving it at restaurants.-I'd advise less water than 4 cups, it turns out a little thin for me.-If you don't have overnight to soak the beans, give them a 5-minute pre-cook in plenty of water in the pressure cooker. Let steam release naturally for 15 mins at least then release. Drain and rinse the beans and then they're ready for this recipe.-An immersion blender is more efficient than a potato masher.
Savannah
I’ve made this several times, and because I’m lazy, I use black lentils (not traditional, but easier to find) and 1 can kidney beans (drained). I don’t soak either, and just put into the IP for 30 minutes and follow the same directions after pressure release. I’ve also used frozen minced ginger in place of fresh and it works wonderfully. This has become a quarantine staple for my husband and I! All hail Queen Madhur!
Christopher
I’m very surprised that no one has mentioned that this recipe calls for double the water you need. I believe if you make that the one simple change will make big difference in taste. Adding a cinnamon stick and three or more cardamom pods is also nice.
Audrey
Busick-Smith, urad is a type of dal (legume). You can get it in Indian grocery stores, sometimes in well-stocked natural foods stores (try the bulk bins), or on-line. "With the skin" simply means that the black outer skin of the dal hasn't been removed. You'll often see this sold as "black urad dal."
TLG
Delicious recipe. If you make it in electric pressure cooker without soaking the beans first, cook for 40 min. If you follow the seasoning amounts, it is pretty bland...good, but bland. I liked it best with a ton of siracha and a dollop of yogurt.
Amrita
I suggest adding kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) to the tadka. Gives an extra depth of taste.
Claire
Try it and report back! :) I was thinking of doing the same as I typically have the rest of the ingredients on hand but not cream. I've substituted greek yogurt for heavy cream in previous dal's with good success.
chap
Use the immersion blender. Use less water. Small can of coconut cream works fine.
jennifer
My Punjabi husband approved this dal. He
Molly McBeath
I substituted aduki beans and used fire-roasted diced tomatoes, both of which worked well.
Dave R.
Really really soupy with the proportions above.
BJ
Is there a good substitute for urad, which is not easily found in my small town? I don't care to order it, since I seldom order enough online to qualify for free shipping.
Susan
What changes would you make to the recipe if you cooked this in a large pot? And how long do you cook it? (::(( don't have a pressure cooker...)
Chuck
The rule of thumb is that pressure cooker times are generally 1/3 that of stove top.
Stephen in Seattle
Wonderful dish! I double the tarka and almost blacken the onions. They really make the dish pop. Also, I use only 3 cups water. I like a thicker dal so to get it to the right consistency I usually have to simmer it a good 20 minutes or so stirring often. Freezes well.
Suze, New Orleans
Delicious! Used a bit less oil and then added a tad as a topper to each bowl. Added about a tablespoon of Worcester to the pot which really deepened the flavor well. Used lemon, no vinegar. Topper: olive oil, parsley, grated parmesan. Yum!
Charles
Not only is this a delicious recipe, but there's another use for whole urad: sprouts. They are close relatives of mung beans, and like them, they can be easily sprouted at home for us in stir fries.
Tej
It’s a beautiful recipe, but I love spice, so I essentially doubled the amounts with some adjustments to taste. Decided to cook a whole onion as well, can’t really go wrong with more flavor in my book.
gourmeteveryday
As others mentioned, half the liquid, use unsoaked beans, increase cooking time to 40 min. I added a green pepper for flavor. So easy and comforting.
Lori
Definitely yummy and also much too thin. Reduce the water for a thicker dal.
Meg
Perfect for a busy evening of soccer practices. Make some rice in the rice cooker, and people can eat whenever they happen to be in the kitchen. Didn't make the fried onions, but might make them when I have more time . Used coconut milk instead of whole milk. Served with a kachumber salad.
Joan P
I always do it with coconut milk as well
Mike R
Careful with the immersion blender. You can end up with ‘soup’, missing all of the bean texture
David
Having read all the notes I heeded several person's notes that 4 cups water was too much. I decided to try 2.75 cups since the dahl and beans were very soaked. Wrong! High pressured 30 minutes. Waited 25 minutes for the pressure to release. Worked for the next hour scraping and scouring with steel wool to remove the firmly scorched dhal from the inside bottom of my pressure cooker. I will listen to the Master Madhur Jaffrey exactly next time and try again!
rich
Any advice on timing if cooking in a traditional stovetop pot instead of a pressure cooker?
BJ
I see no reason not to make this in a stove-top pressure cooker if you lack an electric one. Time from the moment that the top jiggles and then set the heat so that the top jiggles gently throughout cooking.
Achla Karnani
Oh, and the tadka is all wrong. This is a dish from Punjab and Ms. Jaffrey is not Punjabi and doesn't get the basic concept of Dal Makhani. The best Indian cookbook I use is Prashad by Jiggs Kalra. I highly recommend it.
Joan P
I find Dassana Amit's Dal Makhani recipe to be excellent.
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