Dal Makhni

Dal is the staple food of Indian, especially vegetarians. Apparently, DM became popular in India post partition, when many people from Punjab migrated to the north.  As the Punjabi clan migrated across India and internationally, the dish was introduced to locals by Punjabis who opened restaurants.

The traditional preparation of DM involves a series of time-consuming procedures, which can take up to 24hours to complete! DM recipes are reputedly kept a closely guarded secret within Punjabi families, and are passed from generation to generation.

Don't worry, my recipe won't take too long, am not a Punjabi and my recipe is not a secret :D

You'll need:

* 1 cup whole black dal

* 2 tsp chana dal

* 2 tsp rajma

* 1 cup tomato puree

* 1 inch ginger

* 4 cloves of garlic

* 2 red chilies (soaked for 15 min)

* 4 tsp ghee

* 2 tsp coriander powder

* 1/2 tsp garam masala

* 1 tsp butter

* 1/4 cup fresh cream beaten well & mixed with 1/4 cup milk

* Salt to taste

1. Soak the black dal, chana dal & rajma in a pressure cooker for 6 hours.

2. Grind the ginger, garlic & red chilies to a paste.

3. Now, drain out all the water from the black dal, chana dal & rajma, and add 6 cups of water. Then add 1 tbsp ghee, salt, half of the ginger-garlic-red chili paste, and pressure cook.

4. After the 1st whistle, reduce the flame & cook for 45 min. Then remove from flame. And open the lid of the cooker & mash the contents.

5. Now for the tadka. In a tempering karchi, add the tomato puree, remaining of the ginger-garlic-chili paste, garam masala & coriander powder. Then, add this to the dal.

6. Then, add the butter & simmer on low flame for 25 min. Remember to stir & mash the dal occasionally with a ladle against the sides of the cooker.

7. Finally, add the cream-milk mixture, simmer for 20 min & serve piping hot!!