This dish is a slightly healthier spin off of the traditional North Indian dish, Dal Makhani.
Dal Makhani is a classic North Indian curry that is protein packed, but also decadent. One of the best things about this curry is that it’s so versatile! It tastes great with bread or with rice. I love this curry with a simple Jeera Rice.
The traditional version of Dal Makhani involves Black Urad Dal and Red Kidney Beans/ Rajma. However, this is a version of Dal Makhani that uses Red Lentils/Whole Masoor Dal instead of Black Urad Dal. Red Lentils cook a lot faster than Black Urad Dal does, so this dish takes a little less time to prepare!
There are a few other small differences between this Red Lentil dal dish and traditional Dal Makhani. Overall, this version is slightly healthier, but just as delicious! 🙂
Red Lentil Dal Makhani
Cuisine: Indian, North Indian6
servings30
minutes1
hour160
kcalRed Lentils & Kidney Beans simmered in a North Indian style tomato/onion gravy featuring a dollop of cream
Ingredients
3/4 cup dry red lentils/ whole masoor dal
1/4 cup dry kidney beans/rajma
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic (minced/ crushed)
1 inch ginger (grated)
1 medium yellow onion (finely diced)
2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped or blended into a paste)
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
2 tbsp cream
Instructions
- Cook 3/4 cup dry red lentils and 1/4 cup dry kidney beans in a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot per the instructions in the ” Notes” section below. The lentils/beans should be well cooked and on the mushy side. Keep aside. Make sure you reserve the water that they were cooked in.
- Heat up 2 tbsp butter in a sauté pan at a medium flame.
- Add 2 cloves garlic (minced/crushed) and 1 inch ginger (grated). Sauté till aromatic.
- Add finely diced yellow onion (1 medium). Sauté till translucent.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes (2 medium). Sauté for a few minutes and then cook covered till the tomatoes become very mushy. (Or you can blend the tomatoes into a paste and add that for a smoother texture.)
- Then add 1 tsp red chili powder, 2 tsp garam masala, and salt to taste. Sauté and let cook for a few minutes.
- Add the cooked red lentils and red kidney beans along with some of the water that they were cooked in.
- Cook covered till the mixture starts to bubble. For best results, simmer for at least 30 min.
- Then, add 2 tbsp cream and cook covered for 10 more minutes.
- Take off flame, serve hot, and enjoy with Jeera Rice! 🙂
Notes
- Whether you are using a Pressure Cooker or an Instant Pot, I would recommend to cook the red lentils and kidney beans separately, since they require different lengths of times to cook.
- Red lentils do not need to be soaked overnight. If cooking in a pressure cooker, it only takes 1 whistle. If cooking in an Instant Pot, you will need to cook for just 1-2 minutes.
- I would recommend soaking the kidney beans overnight in enough water to completely cover them. If cooking in a pressure cooker, cook at medium heat for 5 whistles. If cooking in an Instant Pot, cook soaked kidney beans for 7-8 min or dry kidney beans for 15-20 min.
- I prefer to crush my garlic via a mortar and pestle. You could finely mince by hand or use a pre-made garlic paste.
- I prefer to grate my ginger. Alternatively, you could use a pre-made ginger paste.
- There are many versions of this recipe. This is my tried and true version that I came up with. I hope you love it!
- Vegan Option: To make this dish Vegan, use oil instead of ghee and skip the cream. Alternatively, you could use Dairy-Free cream such as Coconut Cream.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you all try this recipe out! I would love to see your own adventures in cooking! Please take a pic and share them with me on Instagram/Facebook @chaitrascreations.
