Makhani Dal (Whole Black Lentils with Ginger, Garlic, and Butter)

Ingredients
1 cup whole black lentils, picked over for stones
¹⁄₄ cup ginger, minced to paste
2 tablespoons garlic, minced to paste
¹⁄₂ cup plain yogurt
¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Punjabi Garam Masala
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
1. Place lentils in a pressure cooker. Fill cooker halfway with water and rinse the lentils by rubbing them between your fingertips. Drain water and repeat three or four times, until the water remains relatively clear; drain. Now add 3 cups water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Skim off and discard any foam that forms on the surface. Stir in the ginger and garlic. Seal the cooker and allow the pressure to build up. When the cooker reaches full pressure, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove the cooker from the heat and allow the pressure to subside naturally (about 15 minutes) before opening the lid.

2. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, heavy cream, salt, garam masala, and cayenne in a blender jar. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed.

3. Once the lentils are ready, stir in the butter and the creamy paste. Sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from 660 Curries which is a recent addition to my cookbook collection.  I have had this dal in restaurants before and it’s one of my favorites, I was super thrilled to see a recipe for it in my new curry cookbook so I could give it a whirl.  Sadly it uses a pressure cooker… do people still own these?  I actually do but I think I haven’t used it since the week I bought it, some years ago.  I’m sure this can be replicated without a pressure cooker; the beans will just take more time to cook. 

This recipe was pretty easy to bring together.  I used my mini processor to make paste of the garlic and ginger and from there it was easy, if not quick.  I did find it to be a tidge on the salty side, so I’d recommend reducing the salt content a bit from what it calls for.  Perhaps 1 teaspoon or even just a ¹⁄₂ teaspoon.  I also found myself out of yogurt and cream due to poor planning so I used coconut milk instead.  This worked quite well!  This dal was certainly as good as the dals I’ve had in restaurants. 

Shown here with Naan.

660 Curries