Álvaro Ramírez
Dal Makhani (black lentils) recipe
Soak beans (overnight)
- 1 cup of rajmah (kidney beans).
- 2 cups of sabut urad (black lentils).
Place the beans in a bowl with plenty of water. The beans will soak it up so ensure there's enough.
Cooking the beans
- 3 liters of water.
- 1 cinamon stick.
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric.
- 2 bay leaves.
Drain the beans and combine new ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil and simer for 1.5 hours. Check beans aren't firm (give 'em a try'). If so extend another 15-30 mins.
Prepare paste
- 1 4 cm piece of ginger.
- 1 large onion.
- 6 garlic cloves.
- 2 tomatoes.
Put through blender (with choppin pulse) or food processor until you get a paste.
Golden paste
- Paste.
- 3 tablespoons of butter.
- 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds.
- 1 tablespoon of coriander powder.
- 1 tablespoon of chilly powder (or less to make milder).
- 1 fresh red hot pepper (find one with medium heat level) chopped.
- 1 tablespoon of cumin powder.
- 1/4 cup of water.
- 3/4 tablespoon of salt.
Heat up the butter (medium heat) and brown the cumin seeds (maybe 30 seconds). Add the paste from previous step. Cook for about 4 minutes or until golden. Add the remaining ingredients in step (except water) and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the water and salt and mix to make more fluid and remove from heat.
Tying it all together
- 1 tablespoon of panchpuram (cumin, fenugreek, mistard, and fennel seeds).
- 300 ml of double cream.
Combine the cooked beans, golden paste, and seeds. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the cream and cook for about 2 minutes. You are effectively done.
Garnish (optional)
You can serve and optionally garnish with some chopped coriander. Recommended.
Serve with
Basmati rice, rotis, buttered buns, or even corn tortillas (unorthodox, but hey).