Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani)

Name: Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani)
Total time: 9 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 1 cup whole urad with skin (sabut ma); 1/2 cup dried red kidney beans (rajma); 1 cup puréed or strained tomatoes, or passata; 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 4 teaspoons); 1 large garlic clove, crushed; 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne, to taste; Kosher salt; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon garam masala (see Tip); 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed; 2 tablespoons peanut oil or ghee; 1/2 small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; 1/4 teaspoon ground paprika; 1/4 teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne

Recipe from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook”

Adapted by Krysten Chambrot

Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani) — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1¼ hours, plus overnight soaking
Rating: 4(892)
Comments: Read comments

In many ways, the electric pressure cooker’s moist environment was meant for Indian food: It cooks dried beans quickly, sometimes without even a soak, and is conducive to saucier dishes like this dal. Adapted from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Instantly Indian Cookbook” (Knopf, 2019), this recipe is a relatively fast way to a rich, satisfying dish. You can make your own garam masala (see Tip), or simply use store-bought. Don’t skip the tarka: Thinly sliced onions are cooked in ghee until deep in color and then tossed with paprika and chile powder, adding a bright flavor that cuts through the rich dal. Serve it with Indian flatbreads, like naan, roti or parathas, though Ms. Jaffrey also recommends whole-wheat pita. —Krysten Chambrot

Featured in: Finding the Deliciousness in New York City

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

For the Dal

1cup whole urad with skin (sabut ma)
½cup dried red kidney beans (rajma)
1cup puréed or strained tomatoes, or passata
1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 4 teaspoons)
1large garlic clove, crushed
¼ to ½teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne, to taste
Kosher salt
½cup heavy cream
1teaspoon garam masala (see Tip)
1tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed

For the Tarka

2tablespoons peanut oil or ghee
½small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
¼teaspoon ground paprika
¼teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the beans: Wash urad and beans, and soak them overnight at room temperature, in water that covers them generously. Drain them.
Step 2
Put the beans into an electric pressure cooker. Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Close and seal the lid, then set to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, before letting the pressure release naturally. (If pressure still hasn’t released naturally after 15 minutes, quick-release the pressure.)
Step 3
As pressure releases, prepare the tarka: Put the oil or ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, arrange the onions in a single layer. Stir and fry them, turning now and then, until they turn reddish gold and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and chile powder, and remove from heat.
Step 4
Once the pressure has released, hit cancel to reset the pressure cooker. Open the lid carefully, venting the steam away from you. Stir the dal. Using a potato masher, crush the dal as much as you can. Taste, adding salt as needed.
Step 5
Select the sauté setting, and set to normal. Add the cream, garam masala and 1 tablespoon butter, and stir until dal reaches desired consistency. Transfer dal to a serving dish and add another dollop of butter on top. Top with tarka.

Tip

To make your own garam masala, put 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon black cumin (shah zeera); 1 teaspoon whole cloves; 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick, broken up; and ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg into the container of a clean coffee or spice grinder, and grind as finely as possible. (The mix can be stored in a jar with a tight lid, away from dampness and light, for several months.) Cardamom seeds and black cumin can be found at Indian grocery stores. Use the freshest spices you can find because potency diminishes with time.

Ratings

4 out of 5

892 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Busick-Smith5 years ago

I'll bite, what is "urad with skin?" I've looked at the recipe notes and don't see it... thank you anyone!

Nora5 years ago

When I prepare dal, I make cashew cream in lieu of heavy cream. 3/4 cup raw cashews blended with 3/4 cup water. Delicious!

Lulu5 years ago

The Urad is a small, black lentil. They almost look like mini black beans. I find them in Asian Markets.

Sankirtana1 month ago

My modifications and turned out great: Used 1 can dark red lentils instead of dried (because I couldn't find dried) Cooked in 3.5 c water for 30 minutes in IP Tadka: - 2 tbls veg oil - seasoned oil with cumin seeds, 1 slit Indian green chili, and a few curry leaves - Added Half red onion diced very finely - Cooked onions down a bit - Added 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 1/4 tsp garam masala - Added a little water to prevent burning - Addee cooked lentils and cooked further for about 20 min - Added 1/4 C heavy cream and cooked further about 10-15 min - Used about 1.25 tsp salt overall (added this during tadka making because I forgot it with lentils earlier)

Chris G3 months ago

After 30 minutes on high there was still an inch of liquid.

Jen3 months ago

Made with 2 cups of black lentils and omitted the red beans as I didn't have any. Did a quick soak of the lentils (poured over boiling water and left for 15 mins). Then followed recipe for the dal. I changed up the takar a bit - fennel seeds, brown mustard seed, cumin seed, sliced garlic and smoked paprika 🤌. Was great. I usually cook black lentils dal for ~6h in the oven so this was a quicker alternative with still satisfying results.

Private comments are only visible to you.