Whole black urad dal infused with lots of flavors is low cal dal makhani. Since the name has the word “makhani” we cannot miss or omit the smoothness of the dish. Generally lots of butter and heavy cream goes in to make dal makhani, but in the recipe, I have not used any of these, not even a drop… still, the dal has that creamy texture. Low cal dal makhani can be served with naan or rice but keeping the whole meal healthy I like to serve it with some tandoori roti.
Making an exception no kidney beans (rajma) have been added to make low-fat dal makhani. Since no butter or cream or even milk has been used to make this recipe, the biggest challenge was to how to get that smoothness without which dal makhani will only be a dal {makhani (strike out)}. A part of the recipe takes care of this thing. For the flavors, the dal is cooked with few whole spices. For the gorgeous color, I have used tomato puree and Kashmiri red chili powder. Both these ingredients help in maintaining the color of dal makhani. My homemade tomato puree also ensures that the texture of healthy dal makhani is totally maintained. Recipe link has been shared in the ingredients section. Although Kashmiri red chili powder works the best for this recipe, you can also use the regular red chili powder. However, reduce the quantity to ½ tbsp. Further, a very flavorful tempering of garlic, red chilies, dry fenugreek leaves, and fresh coriander just take the dal to another level.
Already on the blog is the Jain Dal Makhani recipe. Yes dal makhani without onion and garlic, still totally scrumptious. View the recipe here. You might also like the collection of dal recipes. Here it is.
Serve dal makhani with tandoori roti and kachumber salad for a weekend dinner.
1.This recipe serves 4 persons.
2.Add ¾ cup whole urad dal in a pressure cooker along with 1 and ½ cup of water, 1-inch cinnamon (dal chini) and 2 black cardamoms (badi elaichi).
3.Also add ¼ tsp clove (laung) powder.
4.Not to miss salt to taste.
5.Pressure cook dal on high flame till the first whistle. Thereafter, reduce the flame to low and cook for 30 minutes. Once the pressure is over, open the cooker. You will find absolutely cooked and soft dal. The water would have been absorbed by the dal. At this stage you can discard the whole spices.
6.Once it cools a bit transfer ½ cup of cooked dal to a grinder jar. Add in a couple of ice cubes.
7.Grind to a smooth paste.
8.Add to the remaining cooked dal.
9.Also add in ½ cup tomato puree.
10.1 tsp ginger paste also goes in.
11.For the heat add 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder.
12.Add 1 and ½ cup water and let the dal simmer for half an hour.
13.Thereafter, check the seasoning and consistency. Adjust the same if required.
14.For the tempering heat 1 tsp of oil. Yes only this much.
15.Add 8 finely chopped garlic cloves. Cook till light golden.
16.Then add 2 dry whole red chilies. Finely add 1 tsp each of dry fenugreek leaves and chopped coriander leaves. Cook for 30 seconds. Pour it on the dal.
17.Garnish with dry fenugreek leaves and chopped coriander leaves.
18.Bon appétit!0
PREP TIME 10 minutes + soaki
COOK TIME 1 hour
TOTAL TIME 70 minutes + 10 hours passive time
For cooking dal:
For tempering:
For garnish:
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