Meera Sodha’s Black Dal Makhani

Ingredients

• 400 g urad dal (black lentils)
• 60 g unsalted butter (Plus 30 g to finish)
• 2 onions (Large, finely sliced)
• 4 cm ginger (Peeled and finely chopped)
• 10 garlic (Cloves, crushed)
• 6 tbsp tomato puree
• 1.75 tsp salt (Plus more to adjust at the end)
• 0.75 tsp chilli powder (Or to taste; plus more to adjust at the end)
• 400 ml whole milk (Additional milk may be needed during cooking, mixed equally with water if the sauce runs low)
• water (Just-boiled water for soaking; cold water to boil the lentils; additional water may be mixed equally with milk to replenish the sauce)

Steps

1. 1

   Rinse the urad dal in a sieve in a couple of changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain it and transfer it to a deep pan; the lentils will double in volume while soaking.

2. 2

   Cover the lentils with a generous amount of just-boiled water and leave them to soak for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

3. 3

   After soaking, rinse and drain the lentils, then return them to the pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.

4. 4

   Continue boiling the lentils for 45 minutes. Scrape off any scum that forms on the surface and discard it.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, put 60 g of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the sliced onions.

6. 6

   Cook the onions for 15 minutes, then add the ginger and garlic.

7. 7

   Fry the onion, ginger, and garlic mixture for another 5 minutes, taking care not to burn it. Longer cooking gives the dal more flavor.

8. 8

   Add the tomato puree, salt, and chilli powder to the frying pan. Stir well, then remove from the heat and set the mixture aside.

9. 9

   Check that the boiled lentils are soft enough to crush against the side of the pan. Keep enough cooking water in the pan to just cover the lentils, then drain off the rest.

10. 10

    Add the onion and tomato mixture and the milk to the lentils. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

11. 11

    Stir occasionally for around 1½ hours. If the sauce begins to run low, top it up with an equal mixture of whole milk and water.

12. 12

    Continue cooking until the sauce becomes darker, richer, and creamier. If the dal is not sufficiently rich and dark after 1½ hours, cook it for longer.

13. 13

    Taste the dal and adjust the salt and chilli if necessary. Add the remaining 30 g butter just before serving and stir it through.

14. 14

    Serve the dal alongside rice or hot, fluffy naans.

Notes

The dal can be made a day in advance. The source emphasizes that longer cooking improves the flavor and that the dish can be cooked beyond 1½ hours without harm. The structured data does not specify an exact soaking or total elapsed time; total time here includes the minimum 6-hour soak.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegetarian
• South Asian
• lentils
• one-pot
• slow-cooked
• make-ahead
• gluten-free