Dal Makhani is an excellent example of how simple cooking can lead to a beautiful rustic plate of comfort food. Dal refers to the lentils that encapsulate this stew. I only say stew for a lack of a better word, and I definitely will not say that this is a curry. Yes, the word curry can be used to describe vegetables or meat in an array of spices, but I find this term too general. 
The dal in this recipe refers to a combination of urad dal (black lentils or black gram), rajma (red kidney beans), and chaana dal (chickpeas). The chickpeas is not original to the recipe, I like the contrast of colour that the chickpeas provide. This further exemplifies the motto of homemade cooking, which is to use whatever is handy for you, and of course this includes canned lentils or beans. If using canned lentils or beans, skip ahead to where the cooked lentils are introduced to the sauce. Makhani refers to cooking with butter, so essentially we are making lentils with butter in a velvety tomato sauce.
INGREDIENTS
LENTILS
3/4 cup (150 grams) dried urad dal/black gram
1/4 cup (50 grams) dried red kidney beans
1/4 cup (50 grams) dried chickpeas
1 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, peeled, sliced thinly
2 green chilis, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon of salt
SAUCE
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
1/8 teaspoon of ground asafoetida
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 1/2 -2 cups of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of red chili powder
1/4 cup heavy cream or greek yogurt
TO FINISH
1 teaspoon of ground garam masala
3-4 tablespoons of butter
salt to taste
coriander, chopped
juice of a lemon or lime
METHOD
- The Lentils. Method 1: Soak the lentils in cold water overnight, then rinse and drain. Add 4 cups of cold water, or the amount required to have the lentils submerged 1 1/2 inches in water, add the sliced ginger, garlic, chili, salt, and bring them up to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to simmer, and let the lentils cook until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain and reserve any excess cooking water for later. Set aside. Method 2 (a bit quicker): Soak the lentils in boiling water for 2-3 hours, then rinse and drain; continue with the directions from Method 1. Feel free to use canned lentils to save even further on time. Note: I find the black lentils will be more done than the kidney beans and chickpeas, but I prefer this end result, as it adds a velvety texture to the sauce.
- In a saute pan, melt the butter on medium heat, let it foam, until slightly browned. Add the cumin and fenugreek seeds, and toast for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low, add the ground asafoetida, the chopped garlic, and toast slightly, being careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in the tomato sauce, increasing the heat to medium high and let mixture simmer for 1 minute.
- Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, along with the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce to the consistency you prefer, keeping in mind that the sauce still has to further simmer for 20-30 minutes to amalgamate all of the flavours. Let the mixture simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, and if you wish, you can use the back of your ladle to mash some of the lentils to aid to its final texture. With 5 minutes to go of the simmering time, add the cream, which is traditional, but I didn’t have any, so I added Greek yogurt, which I had handy. Take it off the heat.
- To finish. Just before serving, while the dal is still hot, finish with as much butter as you like, and the garam masala. Taste and adjust the salt as required, along with a squeeze of lemon or lime to cut through the richness, and sprinkle with coriander. Serve with naan or chapati, rice, and with tomato pachadi.