Dal Makhani (Slow-Cooked Black Lentils with Butter and Cream)
دال مکھنی (مکھن اور کریم کے ساتھ آہستہ پکی کالی ماش)
Dal makhani is the richest dal there is: whole black urad dal (*sabut maash*) and a handful of rajma cooked for hours until they break down into a velvety, almost creamy stew, then finished with butter and cream. It was made famous by Delhi restaurants, where it simmers on the tandoor's embers overnight. At home, a pressure cooker and an hour of gentle simmering get you there, and a few minutes of adds the smoky dhaba flavour.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 55 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 1 hr 40 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Drain the dal and rajma and cook with the water and salt in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes after the first whistle (or 2–2½ hours in a covered pot) until completely soft. Mash about a third of it against the side.
In another pan, heat 2 tbsp butter with the oil. Crackle the cumin, add the onion (if using) and cook until golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute, then the tomato purée and chilli powder. Cook for 8–10 minutes until thick and the butter separates.
Add the masala to the dal with 1 cup hot water. Simmer uncovered on the lowest heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring often and adding water as needed. The longer it cooks, the creamier it gets.
Stir in the remaining butter, the garam masala, crushed kasuri methi and most of the cream. Simmer for 5 minutes.
For a smoky flavour, heat the charcoal until red, place it in a small steel bowl on top of the dal, pour a few drops of ghee on it and cover tightly for 3 minutes ().
Remove the coal, swirl in the remaining cream and serve hot with naan or rice.
Kitchen notes
Don't skip the overnight soak; whole urad is hard and needs it.
Dal makhani thickens a lot as it cools. Loosen with hot water or milk when reheating.
It tastes even better the next day.
The dal of Punjabi restaurants
Dal makhani was popularised in Delhi after 1947, by the same Punjabi restaurant tradition that created butter chicken. The black lentils were left to simmer overnight on the dying embers of the tandoor, and by morning they had turned creamy and smoky. Butter and cream made it a luxury, and it’s now on Indian restaurant menus worldwide.
Time is the main ingredient
The creamy texture doesn’t come from the cream; it comes from long cooking. As whole urad simmers, its skins soften and the insides break down into a thick, glossy sauce. Mashing some of the dal against the pot speeds this up. Stir often in the last hour so it doesn’t stick.
The smoky finish
, smoking with a hot coal and ghee, is the home trick for restaurant flavour. It’s the same technique Pakistani cooks use for kebabs and daal. It’s optional, but it makes a big difference.
Serving
Serve with naan, tawa naan, lachha paratha or jeera rice, alongside palak paneer or kadai paneer. Pakistani readers who love daal mash will enjoy comparing the two.
Questions people ask
Is dal makhani the same as Pakistani daal mash?
Both use urad, but daal mash uses the white, split, skinless dal and is cooked dry with a tarka. Dal makhani uses whole black urad and is slow-cooked creamy with butter and cream.
Can I make it without cream?
Yes. Long cooking makes it creamy on its own; finish with a spoon of butter or a splash of milk.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 14 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
