Dal Makhani

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 10-12 hrs | Cook Time: 45 mins | Yield: 8-9 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Whole Urad Dal (Black Lentils)
¼ cup Rajma (Red Kidney Beans)
1 Large Onion
2 Medium Tomotoes
2 tsp Garlic Paste
2 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tbsp tomatoe sauce
¼ cup Milk
½ tsp Chopped Garlic
3 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and soak the urad dal and raajma overnight.
2. Finely chop the onion and the tomatoes.
3. In a presssure cooker* heat the oil and add the chopped onion.
4. Fry the onions till golden brown.
5. Now add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry them along with the onions for about 2-3 mins.
6. Add the tomatoes and a little salt. The salt will help to soften the tomatoes quickly.
7. Cook this until the tomatoes are really soft and oil starts to separate from this mixture.
   
8. Add the tomato sauce and mix well.
9. Now add the soaked dal and about 3 cups of water. Cook the dal on high flame for about 10 mins and then on low flame for another 10-15 mins till it's soft and cooked well.
10. Once the cooker is cool, add the milk and stir well.
11. Now in a separate pan, melt the butter and add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic till slightly brown and then add the dal mixture from the cooker.
12. Add about a cup of water and salt to taste. The amount of water you add will depend on how much water the dal had after it got cooked in the pressure cooker.
    
13. Now cover the lid and let the dal simmer on low heat for about 5-10 mins until you get a thick creamy preparation. Remember to stir occasionally as the dal tends to settle at the bottom.
14. Remove from heat and serve hot. Ideally it goes very well with soft nans or jeera rice or peas pulao. But you may serve with other kinds of rotis or plain rice as well.

NOTES
*If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook in a large pan. While cooking the dal, cover the lid of the pan and cook it for more than a hour on medium heat till the dal is well cooked.