Masoor Dal Makhani

- Serves 6

This is my cheat recipe for the ever popular dal Makhani made with black lentils. Unlike the traditional recipe, this quick and easy version made with masoor sabut dal (whole red lentils) skips the overnight soaking and reduces the cooking time to literally minutes. Serve this hearty lentil dish with chapatis or even better sourdough rotis.

Ingredients for Masoor Dal Makhani

1 cup masoor sabut (whole red lentils), rinse and soak in 2.5 cups water for at least one hour
3 tablespoons oil/ghee
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
125g onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 fresh green chili padi, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder, optional
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1.5 teaspoons salt, or to taste
400g ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 cup Marigold King of Kings full cream evaporated milk or coconut milk or cooking cream
1 tablespoon butter, optional

Recipe

Rinse masoor sabut lentils under running water and soak them for about an hour in 2.5 cups of water.
Place lentils and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover partially and cook for about 20 minutes until beans are slightly soft.
Add oil/ghee in a large heavy base saucepan. Drop in cumin seeds, let seeds splutter. Add onion, ginger, garlic, fresh chili pad and stir well.
Fry onion until slightly golden brown, then add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder and salt, stir.
Next, add tomatoes and stir fry for about 5 minutes until oil surfaces.
Add cooked beans along with any leftover bean stock followed by additional 1.5 cups of water. Bring to the boil. Lower heat, cover and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Finally, add garam masala powder, kasuri methi, lemon juice, butter and evaporated milk, stir well. Serve hot with steamed rice.