North Indian
Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils)
Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils) is North Indian home cooking, eaten at lunch and dinner. On the plate it is the dish at the centre and the protein alongside. Below is what usually sits beside it, what it does and does not contain, and what else to cook once you have made it.
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
- 1/4 cup kidney beans (rajma)
- 5 cups water
- 1 onion
- 3 tomato
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
How to cook it
- Soak the urad dal and kidney beans overnight, then pressure cook them with the salt and water until very soft, about 6 whistles.
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in a pot and let the cumin seeds sizzle, then cook the garlic, ginger, and onion until golden.
- Stir in the pureed tomato, red chili powder, and garam masala and cook until the oil separates.
- Add the cooked dal with its liquid and simmer on low, stirring often, for 25 minutes so it turns creamy.
- Swirl in the cream and remaining butter, simmer for 5 more minutes, and serve.
Serve it with
A North Indian dinner is a plate rather than a single dish. These are the courses that normally sit beside Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils), read from the same composition Dinejot builds a real meal from.
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The cooked vegetable
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What it is eaten with
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The sharp little thing
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Something cool and fresh
Safe at your table
Dinejot tracks ten allergens and tags every one of them by hand, so the absences below are as deliberate as the presences. Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils) carries dairy. It is free of the remaining 9 allergens on that list.
| Allergen | In this dish | Cook this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | No | |
| Tree nuts | No | |
| Dairy | Yes | Masala Omelette |
| Gluten | No | |
| Shellfish | No | |
| Eggs | No | |
| Soy | No | |
| Fish | No | |
| Sesame | No | |
| Coconut | No |
These tags are set by a person rather than inferred from an ingredient list, and they describe the recipe as written here. Read the labels on whatever you actually buy.
What it brings to the plate
Bands, not numbers. Dinejot does not weigh anybody's food, so it says light, moderate or hearty and stops there. This dish was read and set by hand.
- Calorie band
- Hearty
- Protein
- Medium
- Protein quality
- Partial
- Food groups it covers
- Pulses, Vegetables, and Dairy
- How this was set
- Hand audited
When to cook it
Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils) takes about 60 minutes from a cold stove to the table, and the cooking itself is a proper project. It is eaten at lunch and dinner. Nothing in the calendar rules it out, so it is a year round dish.
Watch someone make it
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More to cook
Cooked from the same things
Other dishes built on black lentils, kidney beans, and cream.
From the same kitchens
More cooking from North India.
Does the same job on the plate
Swap any of these in when you want a meal the same shape.
Cook this with your whole family
Dinejot plans breakfast, lunch and dinner as whole plates, built around the cooking you call home and filtered for the allergies at your table.
Meal suggestions support your goals. They are not medical advice. Please ask your doctor about your family's health needs.