Dal Makhani

Name: Dal Makhani
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ tsp ground turmeric; ⅛ tsp baking soda; 1 medium white onion (9¼ oz [260 g]); ¼ cup [55 g] tomato paste; 6 garlic cloves, peeled; ½ cup [60 g] kidney beans (optional); 2 Tbsp heavy cream or crème fraîche; Fine sea salt; ¼ tsp cayenne powder; ¼ cup [55 g] ghee or unsalted butter; 2 in [5 cm] piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut in half; 2 Tbsp loosely packed chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional); 1 cup [200 g] whole urad beans with skin; 1 tsp garam masala, homemade or store-bought

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Flavor Equation

By Nik Sharma

Published 2020

About

In India, the word dal is an all-encompassing term that includes not only the dish but also lentils and some beans. Dal is a staple in many Indian homes across the world; it’s easy to make, comforting, and a great source of protein. One of the things I love about dal is that regardless of the lentil or bean you cook it with, it’s a blank slate for flavor. You can use my simple flavor guide to build and layer flavors into your own dal recipes at home; feel free to tweak it and make yo