Make restaurant-style Indian Dal Makhani at home in your pressure cooker. Smooth, creamy, spicy, and hearty plant proteins for great taste, and good health.
Dal Makhani has traditionally required hours and hours of very slow cooking to get the lentils to a perfectly soft, creamy cooked stage. Thankfully, the Instant Pot does a fine job of this, although it does take a bit.
I made 1/2 a cup of lentils for about 2-2.5 cups of finished dal and I set the lentils to cook for about 30 minutes. They were perfect when they were done.
You need a particular kind of dal for this called Urad dal. To add to the confusion, Urad dal can be either split or whole. You need the whole kind. Here’s what it looks like.
And here’s why you can’t just tell me “Oh I love dal” or “I hate dal” Because I’m going to ask you, Which KIND of dal do you love/hate? These are just a FEW of the dals I have at home.
So the one to the left, labeled Urad? (Actually, I just realized I labeled it Udad, doh! I need to fix that). The creamy white one? Yeah, it’s this same black Urad I have up there, except split and the skin has been peeled off (don’t ask me how, I don’t know).
Hard to believe they’re the same right?
Anyway. This is one of those dals that’s quite thick, but it gets its thickness, not from the typical onion masala that thickens many Indian dishes, but rather from some of the dal itself breaking down and adding a thickness to the finished product.
There are many complicated recipes for this dal on the internet, but I like to keep it simple, yet authentic. Most of us with jobs, families, children just really don’t have the time to do all the steps most of the recipes call for.
Either that or I’m just lazy 🙂 Here’s a picture of the desired thickness, all of which came from the cooked dal itself.
But there is one thing I’d urge you to consider taking the extra step for here, which is making the Punjabi Garam Masala. This is a little different from the other Garam Masala recipe I’ve posted here, although both are super easy and only require you to grind dry spices together. This one is different in that it provides what we refer to in my house as “chest heat”.
This dal is a particular favorite during winter, so warming your chest with the spices makes sense I suppose.
I can tolerate a lot of “mouth heat” from the cayenne. But I actually can’t tolerate as much “chest heat” (from cinnamon, cloves, etc), or “nasal heat” (from horseradish, wasabi etc.). If you’re just not sure if you’ll love this dal, then just use whatever Garam masala you have or make your own with this recipe.
If you’re feeding kids this dal, I’d actually stick with regular garam masala rather than Punjabi Garam Masala.
If you’re trying to be dairy-free, you can sub soy yogurt that’s been drained instead of the yogurt below, cashew paste for the half and half, and earth balance for the ghee.
We know this works because Joey Leone made it and I saw the video of the finished product and it looks perfect! (Thank you, Joey!)
THE STEPS TO MAKING PRESSURE COOKER DAL MAKHANI ARE:
- Cook the dal
- Add some sautéed tomato paste
- Finish with yogurt/cream/half and half and spices
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Make restaurant-style Indian Dal Makhani at home in your pressure cooker. Smooth, creamy, spicy, and hearty plant proteins for great taste, and good health.
- 1/2 cup whole black urad dal (see picture)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (or drained soy yogurt)
- 1/2 cup half and half, cream, or alternative milk of your choice, or cashew paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon Punjabi garam masala (see recipe below) or ordinary garam masala
- 2 teaspoon ghee, (Earth Balance for non-diary)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Wash the dal well, add ginger, garlic, bay leaves and water, and cook in an Instant Pot for 30 minutes using natural release.
- Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, milk/cream of choice, and the listed spices and blend these well together.
When the dal is ready, open up the Instant Pot and using the back of a spoon, gently mash in some of the dal to make a thicker dal, leaving most of the dal intact.
Turn your Instant Pot onto its Keep Warm Setting, adding a little water if needed.
Heat a small saucepan or kadhai, add ghee when hot, and add in the cumin seeds which will start to sputter.
Put in the tomato paste and cook it for a while, until it absorbs all of the ghee.
Pour this paste into the dal and mix well.
- Pour in your yogurt mixture and mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro if desired, and serve with naan, chappatis, or rice, or eat plain by the spoonful, which is what I do.
I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information is provided a courtesy, and can vary depending on the exact ingredients you use.
Make restaurant-style Indian Dal Makhani at home in your pressure cooker. Smooth, creamy, spicy, and hearty plant proteins for great taste, and good health.
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 cinnamon sticks, broken up
- 3 bay leaves, broken up
- Grind together in a spice or coffee grinder.
If you're up to it, toast these spices lightly in a hot pan for 2-3 minutes until they're a little toasted but not brown. They continue to cook after you take them out of the pan for a while, so if in doubt, undercook, don't overcook them.
- Lay them out on a plate or a paper towel to cool. Grinding hot spices together is a sure-fire way to get a clump of paste rather than a powder.
- When they're cool, grind them together and store in a cool, dark, place. Or you know. On your regular spice rack. Which is what most of us do.
I am not a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information is provided a courtesy, and can vary depending on the exact ingredients you use.
Christine says
Oh thank goodness someone asked the setting question! I wish all IP recipe writers/publishers would specify the settings — pressure cook manual or pre-setting, pressure level, time, etc. Otherwise, we are left guessing. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
URVASHI PITRE says
Every pressure cooker has different settings so specifying that for every recipe, for every different type of cooker is not easy nor really feasible. I think it’s safe to assume that unless otherwise specified, you’re to use the appropriate high pressure setting. I hope that helps!
Priya says
This is one keeper! I have made dal makhani before but this was something else.. easy, and delicious.
Thank you!
Elaine Tsai says
The flavors are excellent but there has to be an error on the amount of water called for in the recipe. I followed the recipe in your book and used 2 1/2 cups of water. It was too soupy especially after adding the yogurt mixture. I also had to cut down on the cayenne and it was still too spicy for me.
URVASHI PITRE says
You are correct and I’m sorry. It’s 1.5 cups of water. It has been adjusted in the Kindle version of the cookbook. My apologies
Bella says
Urvashi, maybe you can help me out here: I had a major disaster with the ghee, cumin seeds and tomato paste – i was waiting for ghee to start shimmering and , i guess, it got TOO hot – when I put the tomato paste, it basically splattered all over the stove… as a result, the color of my dal is far from what’s in the picture… plus I put too much water following the book..
Any advice on how to prevent it in the future?
URVASHI PITRE says
I wonder if you need a deeper container for the ghee and tomato paste? That might keep it from splattering?
Bella says
Yeah, maybe I will use another pan, more like a pot.. and probably should not heat it that much… it just wasn’t simmering…🤷♀️
Looking forward to making it again, with proper amount of water… but Chana Masala first! I finally got a little bit of amchoor, so that’s next!
Rick G says
Wow – this recipe has made my wife and I very happy. Just a wonderful combination of flavors, and very satisfying!
URVASHI PITRE says
Glad to hear it!
Barbara says
Love your cookbook. I’ve made this recipe but the water amount is incorrect in the book. I’ve noticed there are a couple of other printing errors. Is there an errata list somewhere so I can annotate my book?
Thanks.
Mal says
Yes, noticed the same issue, just too late and I have a watery result. Still tastes good but I was surprised at how much water it had left after cooking. I used a container to remove some of it, but was not enough. A list of errata for the book would be absolutely awesome.
Bella says
Aaaah THAT is why mine came out so runny! I didn’t check the recipe here, cooked from the book… makes perfect sense now!
Judy says
Excellent! Thanks for another great recipe!
priti says
Do you think i can substiute butter for ghee in here? Just realized ours is expired 🙁 Cooking up THREE of your dishes today to surprise my hubby when he gets home since i am on bedrest until my baby comes 🙂
URVASHI PITRE says
yes that will work. Good luck with the baby and don’t overdo it!
Barbara says
Very tasty. I thought the dairy was a little overpowering so next time I will use less.
rjm1604 in Atlanta says
I purchased your book several weeks ago and am working my way through the exceptionally well-written, delectable recipes. I’m used to spending *hours* in the kitchen, standing over a pan of onions that are taking forever to brown up. So, IP cooking has been a revelation for me, and I thank you for that. I do have a question: what is the size of the cinnamon sticks you are using? The ones pictured in your book look to be about 6-7 inches long. The ones I have from Penzey’s are about 4+ inches long, and the ones from Patel Brothers are about 3 inches long. And, I assume you’re using Ceylon cinnamon?
URVASHI PITRE says
Hi there! So glad you’re enjoying the book. I worked hard to simplify all the recipes without sacrificing taste. As to the cinnamon sticks, I really use cassia bark and my cinnamon sticks are closer to the 3 inch long pieces you get from Patel Brothers. I hope that helps!
rjm1604 in Atlanta says
Indeed, it does. I was at Patel Brothers today to pick some cinnamon up. The crush of people because of upcoming Diwali was astonishing. Very festive!
Leslie says
Hi, I just made this from the book, which calls for 2-1/2 cups of water on P. 50
When I saw how much water it called for, and only 1/2 c of dal, I went with my gut and only put in 2c which was still about 1/2 c too much water, so I ladled some water off before smashing the dal.
Next time I will make with 1c dal and 2c water.
It was easy enough to make! I added 1/2 tsp mustard seed, a few curry leaves and a sliced green pepper to the tempering. When I saw how chunky that was, I blended it with the yogurt sauce before adding to the dal. It tasted phenomenal!
URVASHI PITRE says
Leslie you are a smart cook. Because in fact there is a typo in that book that we are working on fixing. It should be 1.5 cups of water not 2.5cups. I’m so glad the taste worked out!
Nicole says
I made this recipe last night (got the cookbook for Christmas) and I wish I’d know about the typo! It’s defintely too thin with 2.5 cups of water so next time I’ll make it with the correction. I also didn’t have any of the black lentils on hand and so made it with green lentils and they don’t breakdown enough to give it the thick quality so I’ll make sure to buy the correct lentils next time. I liked the flavor 😁.
Protima says
Hi, what IP setting should I use to cook the dal? Manual Hi or Bean? Want to make it tonight. Thanks
URVASHI PITRE says
I think I used manual hi.
Preeti Mehta says
Thank you for this recipe. It’s yummy. If I wanted to double it, can I just double the ingredients
Two Sleevers says
Yes for sure. And I don’t think you’d have to adjust the time either. Glad you liked it!
Preeti Mehta says
Thank you.
Nancy Travers says
660 Curries is the first cookbook I’d take with me on an island! I once emailed him a question about a recipe – think I found a contact on amazon and he answered me right away! Love your recipes and posts in Facebook! Regards, nt
Two Sleevers says
Thank you! Yes I’m a huge fan of his. Everything I’ve made from that book has been phenomenal.
Geeta says
Do you soak your urad dal overnight before cooking?
Two Sleevers says
Geeta I didn’t. The pressure cooker takes care of that. Rather than presoaking, you just cook then a little bit longer.