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Prep time
8 hours
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
The Indian state of Punjab is known for the dairy that is consumed in generous amounts by its farming population. (Perhaps you will not be surprised to learn that today it is immigrant Punjabi farmers who care for the cows that produce the milk for Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese around the city of Parma in Italy.) More than half of Punjabi farmers are vegetarian and seem to thrive on local yogurt, cheese (paneer), lassis, and butter.
This dal is made with a mixture of red kidney beans—an early import from the Americas—and an ancient Indian bean known as whole urad or ma. The dish is called Dal Makkhani, or Buttery Dal, because of all the white butter that is used to enrich it. You can use as much “enrichment” as you choose.
It is traditionally served with Indian flatbreads—naans, chapatis, tandoori rotis, and parathas. Whole-wheat pita bread works well too. An onion and tomato salad plus a vegetable dish served on the side would complete the meal.
Excerpted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook © 2019 by Madhur Jaffrey. Reproduced by permission of Knopf. All rights reserved. —Food52
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: How Madhur Jaffrey Changed Indian Home Cooking in the West. —The Editors
Ingredients
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1 cup
whole urad with skin (also called sabut ma)
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1/2 cup
dried red kidney beans (called rajma in Indian stores)
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Salt
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4 teaspoons
peeled fresh ginger grated to a pulp
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1 tablespoon
crushed garlic
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1 cup
pureed or strained tomatoes or passata
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1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons
chile powder
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1 tablespoon
butter, plus more if needed
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1/2 cup
heavy cream
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1 teaspoon
garam masala
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2 tablespoons
peanut oil or ghee
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About 6 very thin rounds of onions, halved
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1/4 teaspoon
bright red paprika mixed with 1⁄4 teaspoon chili powder
Directions
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Wash the beans and soak them overnight in water that covers them generously. Drain them the following day.
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Put the beans in the Instant Pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt, the ginger, garlic, tomatoes, chili powder, and 4 cups water. Close and seal the lid, then cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes, before letting the pressure drop by itself. Hit CANCEL to reset the cooking program. 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 another 1/2 teaspoon salt as needed.
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Select the SAUTÉ setting and set to Normal. Stir in the 1 tablespoon butter, cream, and garam masala. When the dal is heated through, you may put it in a serving dish and add another dollop of butter on top, or you may use the tarka (see below).
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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. Sprinkle the paprika mixture
over the top and quickly pour all the contents of the pan over the beans, spreading it out over the surface. Cover with a towel or extra lid to trap the aromas.
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