Dal Makhani / Dhaba Dal
All time favorite Punjabi dhaba dal is savored by Indians all over India

Serves: 4 persons
Cooking time: 2 hours
Preparation time: overnight soaking of dal; 15 minutes other
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole black udat dal
- ¼ cup red kidney beans/ rajma
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 ½ teaspoon chopped ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chilles
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons Chopped coriander
- Salt to taste
Method
Cook the black dal and red kidney beans. See Cooking Dals, Legumes and Beans
Heat butter in a pan; add ginger, onions, garlic and sauté in medium heat until tender
Add tomatoes, green chillies, turmeric powder and cumin powder. Sauté until tomatoes are soft and cooked.
Add the cooked dal and bean, salt, garam masala powder, 1 cup of water and simmer it for 30 minutes.
The longer you simmer the spices get absorbed better into the dal and the dal itself releases its special flavor which is irresistible. I have heard punjabi’s simmering the dal for more than an hour or two.
Make sure you monitor it stirring occationally so it does not thicken itself at the bottom of the pan.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with a sabzi, phulka’s/naan/rice
Tasty Tip
Serve along with sliced onions, slit salted green chillies, a tomato cucumber salad, and cut lemons
Filed under: North Indian
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(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5) 



I love dal makhani. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
This is delicious. I gave some to a friend and he described it as “beyond words” and we are both big fans of northern Indian cuisine and dhaba dals.