Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Punjabi · Indian

Dal makhani

Vegetarian

दाल मखनी · dal makhani

Whole black urad lentils and kidney beans simmered slowly with tomato, butter and cream until velvety. A rich Punjabi dal for special dinners.

Dal makhani is a Punjabi curry from India, ready in about 2 hours and made with black gram (urad dal), butter and heavy cream. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of dal makhani with a swirl of cream and butter on a vibrant yellow setting, perfect for culinary blogs.
Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 45 min
Total
2 h
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
390

Plus overnight soaking of the lentils and beans.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Drain the soaked lentils and beans. Pressure-cook with the water and 1 tsp of the salt for about 30 minutes (or simmer in a covered pot for 1½–2 hours) until completely soft and starting to break down.

    Food safety: Dried kidney beans must boil hard for at least 10 minutes to destroy natural toxins — never slow-cook them from raw at low temperature.

  2. Step 2

    In a heavy pot, melt two-thirds of the butter (opens in a new tab). Add the cumin (opens in a new tab), then the onion (opens in a new tab), and fry until golden. Add ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab) and chilli and cook for a minute.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the passata, chilli powder and remaining salt and cook until the sauce thickens and the butter (opens in a new tab) starts to separate.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the cooked lentils with their liquid. Mash a few spoonfuls against the pot, then simmer very gently, stirring often and adding water as needed, until thick and creamy.

    • 45 min
    • low heat

    The longer and slower it cooks, the creamier it becomes.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the garam masala (opens in a new tab), kasuri methi (opens in a new tab), cream and remaining butter (opens in a new tab). Simmer 5 more minutes and serve garnished with coriander.

    • 5 min
    • low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Punjab / Delhi, Punjab, India · Commonly attributedWidely credited to Punjabi restaurant cooking in Delhi; home versions of slow-cooked black dal are older.Also popular in Pakistan, United KingdomMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Pressure-cooked, Simmered, Slow-cooked
Taste
creamy, buttery, earthy, savoury
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Black gram (urad dal) · Butter · Heavy cream · Kidney beans (canned) · Cumin · Onion
Techniques
Simmering · Pressure cooking

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter, heavy cream

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

390 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 488 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 16%
  • Carbohydrate 43%
  • Fat 42%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy390 kcal80 kcal
Protein16.1 g3.3 g
Carbohydrate43.2 g8.8 g
Net carbohydrate31.3 g6.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre11.9 g2.4 g
Fat18.7 g3.8 g
Saturated fat11.2 g2.3 g
Trans fat0.7 g0.1 g
Cholesterol49 mg10 mg
Sodium1032 mg211 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
881 mg
Calcium
156 mg
Iron
5.6 mg
Magnesium
166 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
193 µg
Vitamin C
13 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
125 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
  • Garam masala: Curry powder (FDC 170924) used as a stand-in; both are ground blends of similar dried spices used in teaspoon amounts.
  • Dried fenugreek leaves: Fenugreek seed (FDC 171324) used as a stand-in for dried leaves; used in pinches.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • It tastes even better the next day once the flavours have settled.

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the final simmer — the dal stays thin and the lentils taste separate rather than creamy.

Serve with

  • Serve with naan, jeera rice or plain basmati and a sliced onion salad.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water, as it thickens a lot when cold.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like