Daal Maharani
A tasty and healthy mix of lentils and beans, Daal Maharani (Dal Makhani) is a recipe from North India. This is a richer, creamier daal than others (e.g. the simple Indian daal and can be eaten with naan/roti and a pickle on the side.
1/2 cup whole urad dal (black lentils) with skin
1/4 cup rajma (red kidney beans)
1/4 cup chana dal
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 fresh green chilies, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
3/4 inch ginger, paste
1/4 cup ghee or butter
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp fresh cream
1 tbsp ghee or butter
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
lime wedges/juice
- Wash and soak lentils and beans in water for at least 5 hours
- Cook them with salt until extremely soft (Use a pressure cooker ifyou have one)
- In another pot, heat ghee (substitute a mix of oil and ghee is you want to reduce the calorie content) and sauté chopped onions, chillies & ginger paste
- When the onions turn a light golden brown, add tomatoes
- When tomatoes and softened, add the turmeric and chili powders
- Sauté this mixture for a minute, then pour the cooked dal, add salt to taste, bring to boil and turn off stove
- Add the fresh cream and butter
- Just before serving, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot
- Lime juice adds a nice tang to the dal