Dal Makhani

 
 














Of late I think I have been cooking a lot of South Indian food...Wanted to try something North Indian...and here was Sailu's JIHVA for Dal...Going back the memory lane,the fabulous memories of Punjabi Dhaba food suddenly tickled my taste buds and I wanted to try one of my favourite Dhaba dish.Dal Makhani?Balle,Balle!!...Wah!! What a tasty food those Dhabas always served...with pure desi ghee,butter and cream liberally added....Amazing variety!Amritsari stuffed parathas and its umpteen milk products,Dal Makhani(Maha Di Dal),Saron Da Saag(Sarson ka saag),Dal Maharani,Dal Amritsari Lobiya,Rajmah,Punjabi Pindi Choley,Punj ratani dal etc., etc., I have forgotten most of the names...

Punjab's agrarian life style demanded burning up plenty of calories and one could say that most of their recipes are tailor made for their life style.They ate lots of onions,garlic and ginger;plenty of pulse, bean and lentil were included in their daily menu.Imagine eating these dishes with the typical Punjabi flat breads like naan,kulcha,lachha paratha,aloo paratha,mooli paratha or with phulka,jowar ki roti, baajre ki roti or the makke ki roti,with ghee or white butter...God! it is real heaven!!Can anyone resist their tasty nonveg preparations?...All those Tandoori items,Reshmi Tikka,Seekh kabab,Patiala Shahi Murg...I'm drooling here!!Before I sit drooling let me draft my entry for
JIHVA...'Vand Chak Khand Chak' as the Punjabis say!!

Ingredients:
(Serves-4)

Black gram 1 cup
Bengal gram 1/2 cup
Kidney beans 1/4 cup
Ginger 1 inch
Green chilli 2-3 (sliced thin)
Butter 4 tbsp.
Cream 2 tbsp.
Tomatoes 3(finely chopped)
Onions 2 finely chopped
Garlic 7-8 flakes
Cumin seeds 1 tsp.
Asafoetida 1 pinch
Red chilli powder 2 tsp.
Garam Masala(optional)-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water-3 1/4 cups

Method:

Soak the washed dals and the beans in 4 cups of water overnight(needs at least 7hrs).Cook the soaked dals and the beans,adding nearly 3 1/4 cups of water,with red chilli powder,ginger(unchopped)& garlic(unchopped) added to it. Pressure cook it for nearly 10 minutes (3-4 whistles). Then reduce the heat to 'medium' and cook further for about 10 minutes.Dal should become soft but not mushy.Remove ginger and garlic from the cooked grams and grind it to a paste.(You may grind it without cooking as well, but it is traditionally cooked along with dal and then ground to paste).

Heat a deep pan.When the pan starts smoking,add 2 tbsp. of butter.Add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it.Saute them for a minute. Add green chilli.Saute it till it is slightly brownish in tinge. Add finely chopped onions&ginger-garlic paste . Saute them until they turn golden brown. Now add finely chopped tomatoes and salt.Cook the whole mixture to a pulpy sauce consistency(about 3 mins).

Now add the cooked grams and the kidney beans to the mixture.(You may add half a tsp Garam Masala,for a richer flavour). Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. If the consistency is too thick,you may add a little water.

Finally add the remaining butter and cook for a minute.Now your Dal Makhani is ready to serve.While serving (with Rice/Naans/Chappathis,) add 2 tbsp Malayi/Fresh cream.....Balle!! balle!!Malayi ho malayi!! Badhayi ho badhai!!...Enjoy!!