Dal Makhani
Creamy and buttery Dal Makhani is one of India’s most loved dal!
This dal has whole black lentils cooked with butter and cream and simmered on low heat for that unique flavor. It tastes best with garlic naan!
I share all my tips and tricks to make restaurant style Dal Makhani at home with easy to follow steps.
The most common dal that mom used to make every day was obviously the arhar/toor dal (split pigeon pea lentil). Then there was masoor dal (red lentils), chana dal and moong dal which she also made once in a while.
But one dal that was made only on special occasions was Dal Makhani.
Makhani means “buttery”, so for this recipe whole black lentils (urad sabut) is cooked with lot of butter and cream. Along with urad sabut, rajma (kidney beans) are also often added to this dal
It’s a rich dal and hence was made on special occasions only.
Dal Makhani is one of the most popular dals in India and it’s certainly my husbands favorite. It’s there on the menu of every Indian restaurant and in every Indian wedding and parties.
Sarvesh is kind of obsessed with it and of course since he’s Punjabi he has pretty high expectations from this dal as he has had his fair share of the best dal makhani in Delhi & Punjab!
When we got married, I tried to learn this dal foremost. And it has taken me many years of trials to finally make a version that Sarvesh likes.
This Restaurant Style Dal Makhani
✓ is rich, creamy and buttery
✓ tastes just like the Dal Makhani from your favorite restaurant
✓ tastes great with garlic naan or jeera rice
Me and Sarvesh have argued quite a lot while making this dish. I have made it so many times and every time he would say “It’s okay but not like one from my favorite place in Delhi”.
Because he is so fond of it he has strong childhood memories for the best Dal Makhani and it was very difficult to get a thumbs up for Dal Makhani from him.
