Makhani Dal (Butter Dal), Mogul-Style

By Mark Bittman

Updated April 13, 2023

  • Sam Kaplan for The New York Times. Food stylist: Brett Kurzweil. Prop stylist: Randi Brookman Harris.
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Total Time
About 3½ hours, largely unattended
Rating
4(255)
Comments
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Ingredients

Yield:About 6 servings

  • ¾ cup whole black gram beans(sabat urad)

  • 2 tablespoons adzuki beans or pinkbeans (choti rajma)

  • 2 tablespoons split chickpeas(chana dal)

  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, whisked

  • 2 cups finely chopped onions

  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped tomatoes(canned is fine)

  • 2 tablespoons finely choppedfresh ginger

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • ½ teaspoon ground-red-chili powder

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 3 tablespoons sunflower or saffloweroil, or other neutral oil

  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala

  • ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

32 grams carbs; 8 milligrams cholesterol; 252 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 472 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 8 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the legumes with 4 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pot; let the legumes soak for 2 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Add the whole-milk yogurt, 1 cup onions, tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, chili and salt to the pot and bring to a boil once more. Cook, partly covered, over low heat for 90 minutes, or until the dal is very soft. Turn off the heat and use an Indian mathani (see related article) to purée the dal for about 1 minute; it should be saucy but not soupy.

  3. Step 3

    To make the tadka, heat the oil in a small saucepan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the remaining cup of onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until medium brown. Turn off the heat and stir in the cumin and garam masala.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the dal to a large bowl and cover with the low-fat yogurt; top with tadka, stir gently and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
255 user ratings
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Comments

John Mason

Opps, yogurt is not vegan ;-)

Sue

It's important (when the timing of dinner is on the line) to know that how long a dal takes to cook massively depends on how fresh they are. Dried legumes may be super shelf-stable, but old beans take a looonnngg time to cook and sometimes never soften at all.

Sarah

This recipe took way longer to cook. I followed directions exactly, but all the legumes were still hard at the 90 minute mark. In an attempt to salvage dinner in a reasonable time, I moved to the pressure cooker.

Aaf

Could not find black gram so I used mung beans instead. Worked out very well! Had to cook the dal for two hours though. Maybe it will help to soak te beans longer next time?

Name vika

This was not good. Flavors were off. Yogurt separated. Not worth the effort.

Delores Borealis

Good but not great.

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