Dal Makhani

You can substitute butter with non-dairy margarine and the cream with coconut cream

Ingredients

200g Black lentils
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
2-3 cm fresh ginger root divided into 3. 1/3 finely sliced, 1/3 grated, 1/3 cut into matchsticks
100g butter
1x 410g can baked beans in tomato sauce, undrained
50 ml thick cream
1-2 Tbs Rajah flavourful and mild curry powder
1/4 cup tomato sauce (Ketchup)
3 -5 cloves garlic
2 green chillies, 1 whole, 1 chopped (optional)
Salt to taste

Method

1. If you are using lentils that don’t need soaking go to step 2. If you are soaking the black lentils, rinse them in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. Put in a large pot and cover with double the volume of warm water. Stir in the Bicarb and allow to stand at room temperature for 12 hours.
2. Drain but don’t rinse the lentils. Put lentils into a pot and cover with 1,5 litres of water. Add the sliced ginger, and the whole chilli, then bring slowly to boil. Skimming off the scum that rises to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. You can do this step in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes if you need to cut the cooking time down. Remove the ginger and chilli
3. Heat butter in a separate pan over medium heat until the butter begins to foam and turn nut- brown. Pour half the butter into a small container and put aside for later. Return the pan to the heat and add the tomato sauce, curry spice, garlic and grated ginger. Cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid, stir in well and season to taste.
4. Roughly mash the lentil mixture with a potato masher until some are crushed. Cook, stirring continuously over low heat for a further 15-20 minutes, until the dal is thick and creamy. Stir through most of the reserved brown butter and half the cream.
5. Serve with the remaining butter and cream drizzled over. Garnish with ginger matchsticks and chilli slices.

What is Dal Makhani?

Dal Makhani is a Punjabi Indian dish made with lentils, tomato, butter (or Ghee) and cream.

I don’t normally make dishes that take nearly 2 hours to cook, the original recipe from BBC Good Food looked so good, I decided to try my own version. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/next-level-dhal-makhani

As I made this delicious vegetarian dishes, I heard my arteries seizing. It was so worth it.

It was rich, warm and filling. Always a must in my home, where I have a large family with healthy appetites.

I splurged and used Woolworths lentils as they do not need soaking. If you do use ordinary lentils you will need to soak them for at least 12 hours.