DAL MAKHANI

Experience authentic Punjabi flavors with this exquisite rich and creamy Dal Makhani!!

Robust with various spices, Dal Makhani is cooked with the aroma of asafoetida, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon. This delectable buttery Punjabi dish of lentils has a rich and creamy texture. A staple in Punjabi cuisine, Dal Makhani taste the best with butter naan, lacha parantha or jeera rice. It's my top comfort food that's incredibly authentic.

Dal Makhani is the most popular dish originated from Punjab region. It's the combination of black lentils and red kidney beans. It was hugely popularized by the migrating Punjabi community within India and around the world. It's a dish that almost all Punjabis swear by, it's that exotic!

This dal is mainly served in dinner parties as it takes long time to cook. So you require a lot of love and patience to prepare it. The best thing about this dal is, it tastes even better on the next day. Try making these lentils in a large quantity, reheat it on the second day and serve them for breakfast. You'll truly love it!

There are different ways to cook Dal Makhani. After experimenting with all of them I'll share my best method. This is my Mom's style of preparation. She uses some unusual techniques in her cooking. She often makes this recipe cuz it's loved by everyone in our family!

About the recipe, we haven't soaked the lentils here, we directly pressure cooked it. This process will take 20-25 more minutes. This method will give you perfect flavors and creamy texture. It's rich, warm and super satisfying. Always remember, the longer you keep Dal Makhani to simmer flame, the better it tastes.

DAL MAKHANI

                                                        

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 2-2.5 hours
Serves: 6 people
Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS

For Cooking Lentils:
1 cup or 200 grams - black lentils (kali urad)
2 tablespoons - red kidney beans (rajma)
4 cups of water for pressure cooking
1 tablespoon of Salt or as per taste
1/2 teaspoon - Turmeric powder 
Pinch of Asafoetida
3 Green Cardamoms 
2  Bay leaves
4 cloves 
One inch cinnamon 

For Tempering :
4 tablespoon - Clarified Butter/Ghee
2 medium size onions, chopped
3 medium size tomatoes, chopped
2 Green chillis, chopped
1 piece or one inch long - ginger, peeled, grated
6-7 garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon - Red chili powder
1 teaspoon - Coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon - Garam Masala
1/2 cup - yogurt
2 teaspoon - Fresh cream (optional)

For Garnishing :
Coriander leaves
Fresh Cream

METHOD

I haven't soaked the lentils, this process will take 20-25 more minutes

1. Wash the lentils and mix them in the pressure cooker - Wash 1 cup of black lentils and 2 tbs of red kidney beans, under the running water. Drain it completely and add it into the pressure cooker. Next, add 4 cups of water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles on high flame. After 2 whistles, turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to release completely before opening the cooker.

2. Add spices and pressure cook the Dal for 5-6 whistles - Open the pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water and the spices: salt, turmeric powder, green cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and pinch of asafoetida. Stir it well. Pressure cook it for 5-6 whistles on high flame.

3. Open the lid and keep the cooker on the low flame for 25-30 minutes - Open the lid and let the lentils cook for 25-30 minutes on low flame till it get thickened and get a creamy texture.  Keep stirring occasionally. Remember, the lentils should be soft and melt in mouth, you should not get any any bite while eating.

4. Sauté onions and ginger garlic paste in a pan - Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoon of clarified butter in a pan and add chopped onions and sauté it on a low flame till they become light brown. Then add ginger garlic paste and stir it till it's aroma goes away.

5. Prepare the tomato puree tempering - Add chopped tomatoes, chopped green chillis and sauté it for around 5 minutes on low medium flame. Next, add red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala in the pan. Sir it well. Let the mixture cook till the oil separates. You can also add half cup of yogurt. It will give a lot of creaminess.

6. Add the cooked dal in the pan. - Then, add the cooked dal in the pan. Add some hot water, if needed for consistency and stir it for next 4-5 minutes till Dal Makhani is nicely cooked and gives a lovely creamy texture. Add plenty of fresh cream and mix it well, sauté it for 2-3 minutes . Turn off the heat and remove it. 

7. Garnish and Serve - Garnish it with coriander leaves or fresh cream. The Dal Makhani is ready to serve!!! Serve with Naan, Parantha or Jeera Rice.

Notes

1. You can save your time by soaking the lentils overnight and skip the step 1
2. Add yogurt while tempering tomatoes, it will give a lot of creaminess.
3. The longer you keep Dal Makhani on flame, the better it taste.
4. Make a lot of Dal Makhani and reheat it, it tastes better on the next day!
5. Serve it with lacha parantha, butter naan or jeera rice.

MAKKE KI ROTI - SARSON KA SAAG

 
Tantalize your taste buds with the perfectly homemade filling meal of Makke ki Roti and Sarso ka Saag!!

Winter is the best season to indulge in seasonal delicacies that are not only delicious but are also healthy. For a brilliant winter rendition, indulge in Makke ki Roti and Sarso ka Saag, a healthy, wholesome and power-packed meal. This authentic meal is much loved in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan.

It is consumed throughout the year but mostly eaten during the winters. Since mustards are grown abundantly in Punjab and other parts of the country. It is extremely flavorful dish and served in almost all the restaurants and food joints across the country. It is highly nutritious because mustard leaves contain a lot of iron and protein.

Makke ki roti is a flat, unleavened Punjabi bread made from corn flour and Sarson ka Saag is a traditional Punjabi dish made from mustard leaves and spinach. The combination of Makke ki Roti and Sarso ka Saag is surely irrefutable, but when topped with homemade white butter it's totally unbeatable. 

Sarson ka Saag is cooked on slow fire for hours. The Saag is generally is served with generous topping of homemade fresh white butter or clarified butter which enhances it's flavor. It's one of my all-time favorite winter dishes. It's a wonderfully delicious and nutritious dish. It's rich in vitamins and minerals.

Always remember to add 2 boiled (mashed) potatoes and a tbsp of clarified butter to soften the dough. You can make makke ki roti with the help of rolling pin or feel free to use something like a wine bottle but it will be good if can try patting them between your palms as the dough is very soft.

This slow cooking saag recipe takes a little time to make but it is well worth the wait. To save the time, you can clean the greens a day before, put them in a plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator. The mustard greens has a bitter and a pungent smell but can be subdued it by adding spinach and bathua.

I have added 2 bunches of mustard greens and a bunch of spinach and bathua (chenopodium) each in my recipe. Clean the greens, wash and chop them. Add all the greens followed by water, salt and ginger in a pressure cooker. You can pressure cook them for 4 whistles and mash the saag with a wooden masher. Do not make a smooth paste, just coarsely mash it. After preparing the tomato tempering and add the cooked saag in the pan. Stir and simmer for couple of minutes and it's ready. Add lot's of white butter or ghee (clarified butter) while serving the saag with makke ki roti.

MAKKE KI ROTI - SARSON KA SAAG

Preparation time : 1 hour
Cooking time : 1 hour
Serves : 6-8 people
Author : The Food Root


INGREDIENTS
For Makke ki Roti

2 cup Maize flour
2 potatoes boiled (peeled and mashed)
Water for kneading
1 teaspoon - Clarified butter
1 teaspoon - Carom seeds (ajwain)
Salt to taste

METHOD
1. Mix all the ingredients and make a soft dough : In a bowl add 2 cups of Maize flour, 2 boiled (mashed) potatoes, 1 tsp of carom seeds, 1 tsp of clarified butter, salt (1 tsp) and mix it well. Add sufficient water and knead into a soft dough.

2. Pat the dough with your hands : Divide the dough into equal sizes and try patting them between your palms as the dough is very soft. You can also make makke ki roti with the rolling pin or feel free to use something like a wine bottle. If the dough is sticking to the surface put couple of oil drops or use dry flour accordingly.

3. Heat griddle and place the roti : Now, heat griddle or tava (flat shaped, frying pan) and add little ghee so that it does not stick. Now place the roti very carefully on it. Flip and cook on the other side. Cook the roti with ghee till golden brown. Enjoy it with the delicious Saag!!

INGREDIENTS
For cooking Saag

2 bunches of Mustard Greens (sarson ka saag)
1 bunch of Spinach (palak)
1 bunch of Bathua (chenopodium)
2 cups of water
2-3 green chillis - chopped
1 inch ginger - peeled, grated
Salt to taste

For Tempering
4 tablespoon clarified butter
pinch of asafoetida
5-6 garlic cloves - finely chopped
2 medium size onions - chopped
4 medium size tomatoes - chopped
1/2 teaspoon - Red chili powder (lal mirch)
1/4 teaspoon - Turmeric powder (haldi)
1 teaspoon - Coriander powder (sukha dhania)
1/4 teaspoon Garam masala
Sat to taste

METHOD
1. Clean, wash and chop the greens and add them in the pressure cooker : Remove all the hard stems of the greens. Wash all the greens for 4-5 times properly and chop them. Next, add all the chopped greens in the pressure cooker followed by 2 cups of water, 3 chopped green chillis, 1 inch of grated ginger and salt to taste (1 tsp). Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles. The best way to cook is to wait for the first whistle on high flame then turn the heat down for 12-15 minutes. Increase the heat again and you'll need to pressure cook it for another 3 more whistles.

2. Mash the Saag : Switch off the flame and remove it. Wait for the pressure to release completely before opening the cooker. Next, open the lid and mash the saag with wooden masher. Do not make a smooth paste, coarsely mash it.

3. Sauté onions and garlic in a pan : Heat 4 big tablespoon of clarified butter (ghee) or oil, add a pinch of asafoetida powder followed by 6-7 finely chopped garlic cloves and fry them for 40-50 seconds. Next, add 2 chopped onions and stir it. Keep stirring and adjusting the flame so that onions cook slightly golden brown.

4. Prepare the tomato puree tempering : Add 4 chopped tomatoes and sauté it for around on 7-8 minutes on low-medium flame. Next, add the spices - 1/2 tsp Red chili powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 1 tsp of Coriander powder and salt to taste (1 tsp). Stir it well. Let the mixture cook, till the oil separates.

5. Add the cooked saag in the pan : Now add the cooked Saag in the pan. Stir it for another 8-10 minutes on low/ medium flame. Add 1/4 tsp of garam masala and mix it well. Turn off the heat and remove it

6. Serve and Garnish : Now, transfer the saag to a serving bowl and add loads of white homemade butter or clarified butter. Serve the Saag with a bite of soft Makke ki Roti and enjoy it with onions, pickle and jaggery.

NOTES
1. Add boiled (mashed) potato and a tbsp of clarified butter to soften the dough.

2. You can also make makke ki roti with the rolling pin or feel free to use something like a wine bottle. If the dough is sticking to the surface put couple of oil drops or use dry flour accordingly.

3. This slow cooking saag recipe takes a little time to make but it is well worth the wait. To save the time, you can clean the greens a day before, put them in a plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator.

4. The mustard greens has a bitter and a pungent smell but can be subdued it by adding spinach and bathua. If you don't want to add spinach or bathua you can go ahead and make it by just adding the mustard greens.

5. Pressure cook the saag for 3-4 whistles. The best way to cook is to wait for the first whistle on high flame then turn the heat down for 12-15 minutes. Increase the heat again and you'll need to pressure cook it for another 3 more whistles.

6. Mash the cooked saag with wooden masher. Do not make a smooth paste, coarsely mash it.

7. Add loads of white homemade butter or clarified butter. Serve the Saag with a bite of soft Makke ki Roti and enjoy it with onions, pickle and jaggery.

DAL PAKWAAN

Scoop the dal with a bite of crispy pakwaan!

Dal Pakwaan an authentic delicacy among Sindhis, mostly served as breakfast or brunch. It's a combination of Dal (lentils) and Pakwaan (crunchy snack). It's one of the easiest, and yet lip smacking dish. It's my favorite among the few Sindhi dishes that I have relished so far and is something that is often prepared in our kitchen. It's an ideal dish for brunch which you would love to serve to your family.

Pakwaan is deep fried crisp flat bread prepared with all-purpose flour (maida), carrom seeds (ajwain) and crushed black pepper which is served alongside with Dal.

I added both bengal gram (chana dal) and black gram split (urad dhuli) in this. Though, urad dhuli is not the part of original recipe but I added both the lentils in equal quantity. This dal will give you a perfect nutty sweet texture of bengal gram and a creamy texture of black gram. In punjabi we call it as 'maah choleyan di dal'. I don't like chana dal so I always add urad dhuli to get the right flavors. If you don't like urad dhuli you can make it with chana dal. The method is same.

I haven't soaked the lentils here, I directly pressure cooked it. This process will take 15-20 more minutes. I find it better because you can control how far you can take it and this method will give you perfect flavors and creamy texture.

To get the authentic taste of Dal Pakwaan, add some dry mango powder (amchur) in the dal. Sprinkle some chaat masala, squeeze in the lemon juice and it will taste delicious. Scoop the dal with a bite of crispy pakwaan and enjoy it with onions, pickle or your favorite chutney. Yummmm!!!

DAL PAKWAAN

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Author: The Food Root

FOR DAL
Ingredients
For Cooking Lentils
1/2 cup or 100 grams - bengal gram (chana dal)
1/2 cup or 100 grams - black gram split (urad dal dhuli)
2.5 to 3 cups - water
1 teaspoon - salt
1/2 teaspoon - turmeric powder
1 - 2 chopped green chilli
2 cloves (lavang)
1/2 inch cinnamon (dalchini)

For Tempering

2 tablespoon - clarified butter or oil
1/2 inch ginger - peeled, grated
5-6 cloves - garlic, finely minced
2 medium size onions - chopped
2 medium size tomatoes - chopped
1/4 teaspoon - red chili powder (lal mirch)
1/2 teaspoon - coriander powder (sukha dhania)
1/2 teaspoon - garam masala
1 teaspoon - dry mango powder (amchur)
coriander leaves (chopped)

For Garnishing
1 teaspoon - chaat masala
1 teaspoon - lemon juice

Method
1. Wash 1/2 cup of chana dal, under the running water. Drain it completely and add into the pressure cooker. Next, add 3 cups of water and pressure cook it for 1 whistle on high flame. After 1 whistle, turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to release completely before opening it.

2. Open the lid and add washed 1/2 cup of urad dal dhuli and the spices - 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 2 cloves, 1/2 inch of cinnamon and 2 chopped green chillis. Add water if required and pressure cook it again for 1 whistle. After 1 whistle, switch off the flame and remove it.

3. Heat about 2 tablespoon of clarified butter or oil in a pan and add ginger and garlic paste and sauté it for 40 to 50 seconds on low to medium flame. Next, add 2 chopped onions and stir it. Keep stirring and adjusting the flame so that the onions cook slightly golden brown.

4. Add 2 chopped tomatoes and sauté it for around 5 minutes on low to medium flame. Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of red chilli powder and 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder and stir it well.
Let the mixture cook till the oil separates.

5. Now, add the cooked dal in the pan. Stir it for next 10-15 minutes till it's nicely cooked. Add 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of dry mango powder, chopped coriander leaves and mix it well. Stir it again for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove it.

6. Transfer the dal to a serving bowl. Sprinkle some chaat masala, squeeze in the lemon juice and it will taste delicious. Scoop the dal with a bite of crispy pakwaan and enjoy with onions, pickle or your favorite chutney!!


FOR PAKWAAN
Ingredients
1 cup or 200 grams - all-purpose flour (maida)
1 cup - lukewarm water
1 teaspoon - salt
1 teaspoon - carrom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 teaspoon - crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon - oil

Method
1. In a bowl, add the all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of carrom seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed black pepper, 1 tablespoon of oil and mix it well.

2. Add sufficient water and knead into a semi-soft dough.

3. If the dough feels sticky, brush it with 1 tablespoon of extra dough and make it smooth. Set the dough aside and let it sit for atleast 15 minutes or longer.

4. Divide the dough into 7-8 balls and roll it into 4 inch diameter. Use your hand or a rolling pin to lightly flatten each ball. If the dough is sticking to the surface put couple of oil on the surface.

5. Prick the rolled dough with a fork all over, so that they don't puff up while frying.

6. Now, heat oil in a deep frying pan till the smoking point. Fry the each pakwaan on low heat till it turn golden and crisp. Fry one pakwaan at a time, make sure you press down the pakwaan when it's fluff up.

7. Remove the pakwaan on tissue paper to absorb the extra oil.

Notes

1. I added both bengal gram (chana dal) and black gram split (urad dhuli) in my dish. Though, urad dhuli is not the part of original recipe but I added both the lentils in equal quantity. If you don't like urad dhuli you can make it with chana dal. The method is same.

2. I haven't soaked the lentils here, I directly pressure cooked it. This process will take 15-20 more minutes. I find it better because you can control how far you can take it and this method will give you perfect flavors and creamy texture.

3. In order to obtain crisp, crunchy pakwaan prick the rolled dough with a fork so that they don't puff up while frying.