Vegan Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentil Dal)
Try my easy, one-pot Vegan Dal Makhani, the most delicious Indian dal ever. This traditional dal makhani recipe has been made lighter and healthier but tastes just like the one at the restaurant. The best part is that it pretty much cooks by itself in the slow cooker, lasts for days, and can also be made ahead and frozen. Dal makhani is a smoky, creamy concoction of black urad dal (black matpe bean) slow-cooked till they melt in your mouth with clever spices and loads of butter (veganized here with coconut milk). The dal is made healthier with a lighter touch, using aromatics, plenty of spices, and coconut milk, while still maintaining its signature creamy texture and deep flavor.
Ingredients 21
For The Dal Lentils
300 g black urad dal
4 cups water, for soaking
For The Dal Base
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground garam masala
1⁄2 tsp red chilli powder
1⁄2 tsp smoked paprika
400 g diced tomatoes, canned
300 ml full fat coconut milk
2 tsp flaky salt
For The Tempering Tadka Tarka
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red cayenne chilli, thinly sliced
1⁄2 in ginger, julienned
To Finish
Handful coriander leaves, fresh
2 tbsp whipped coconut cream
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Method 8
Wash, rinse and soak the in 4 cups of cool for 2 hours or 4 cups of hot water for 1 hour.
Place along with the in the bowl of a slow cooker and cook on high for half an hour.
Heat in a large shallow frying pan. Sauté , , , and on medium for a couple of minutes until onion is caramelised.
Add , , , , and . Sauté for a couple of minutes until spices are toasted and aromatic.
Add the to the dal in the slow cooker. Add the , and . Mix well.
Cover and slow cook on low for 6 hours. The consistency of the finished should be that of a loose porridge. If it is drier than that, add half a cup of to loosen the dal in the last stages of cooking.
Heat in a small frying pan on medium heat. Sauté the and strips for 30 seconds until golden. Remove from heat and pour over the dal.
Garnish with and swirl through the . Serve hot with rotis or steamed rice and lemon wedges on the side.
Sneh Roy / Cook Republic's tips
If soaking in cold water, soak for 2 hours. If soaking in hot water 30 mins-1 hour is plenty.
If the beans haven't gotten soft and still watery, they need more heat to cook and absorb the water. Different slow cookers (brands and sizes) can render different cooking times. Just make sure you have covered it and try cooking on high for 2 hours or so. Alternatively, you could continue cooking it on low for a longer duration.
If using split black matpe beans without husks, the texture and colour will be very different. The dal will be stickier and more viscous. If you are using the split beans, add whole French lentils as well (half and half) to get that texture going.
If you don't have coconut milk, evaporated milk or a combo of milk and cream will also work (for non-vegan).
If using black lentils (Beluga lentils) instead of black urad dal, use less water (2.5 - 3 cups) and reduce cooking time to 3 hours on low in the slow cooker or 1-1.5 hours on medium-low on the cooktop.
