Also called Black Dal, this is the most captivating, indulgent dal you’ve ever eaten! It’s full of earthy, rich tomato and warm buttery goodness. The longer you cook it, the more rewarding the flavours will be – it’s really worth the wait! You can make it a day in advance, just add some water to thin it out when heating through if needed.

If you give this recipe ago, take a picture and tag @blcircadian because we’d LOVE to see your recreations.

Ingredients:

300g (1.5 cup) urad dal (black lentils)
50g (¼ cup) rajma (red kidney beans)
15g (1 tablespoon) ghee (clarified butter)
30g (2 tablespoons) salted butter
1 white onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon (tbsp) minced garlic
1 tablespoon (tbsp) minced ginger
80g Tomato Puree
9g Fine Sea Salt
60g (4 tbsp) Butter
1 teaspoon (tsp) Deggi Mirch Chilli Powder (or ½ tsp of normal)
1 teaspoon (tsp) Garam Masala
100ml (½ cup) Double Cream
½ teaspoon (tsp) Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
Small piece of grated Ginger
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Optional: Sesame Seeds, Spring Onion, and Crunchy Veg (I like Sugar Snap Peas)

Method:

1. Wash and rinse the dal and rajma 3-4 times until the water runs clear. Soak in 5-6 cups of cold water overnight (8hours), or soak in boiling water for 4 hours. Drain and rinse again.

2. In a large saucepan, cover the soaked dal and beans with 600ml (2.5 cups) of water and gently simmer for around 1.5 hours, then turn off the hob and leave to sit whilst you start cooking the Makhani. When cooked, the dal should be fully soft and the white insides very creamy.

3. Heat a large saucepan on a medium-low heat with 1 tbsp of ghee and 2 tbsp of salted butter, then sauté the finely chopped onion and cook until light golden brown, stirring frequently (about 15 minutes).

4. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for around 2 minutes before adding the tomato puree. Cook until you can see oil separating out from the sides.

5. Add the drained cooked dal and rajma along with 60g butter, garam masala, chilli powder and salt and mix to combine.

6. Add fresh boiled water 800ml to cover the dal by ~4cm, simmering on a low heat without a lid for 45 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so to stop the dal sticking to the bottom until it thickens and add more water as needed.

7. Add more water as needed (I added 200ml) and simmer on the lowest heat for as long as you can (minimum 1.5hrs). The longer it cooks, the better the texture and flavour – it really is worth the wait!

8. Mix in 100ml of cream and cook for a further 15 minutes.

9. Add the Kasuri Methi (if using) and mix in.

10. Serve with Chapatis or Naan.

TIP: Get your black urad dal from big Sainsbury’s, Amazon or an Indian supermarket such as Haatbazar in Bethnal Green.