Dal Maharani Recipe Restaurant Style Whiskaffair

on Sep 01, 2022, Updated Jan 10, 2024 Dal is something that is made in every Indian household. Here are a few dal recipes that I like a lot: Green Moong Dal, Malwa Dal, Dal Makhani, Shahi Dal, and Punjabi Yellow Dal Tadka.

About Dal Maharani

Dal Maharani is a creamy and luscious North Indian lentil curry prepared with whole urad (black lentils), rajma, and chana dal as its base. This creamy lentil curry is perfect to serve for festivals or special occasions. Serve it with jeera rice or Indian bread such as naan, missi roti, or tandoori roti. You can cook this restaurant-style dal maharani recipe in a traditional pressure cooker or an instant pot. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. I cook it in my 3-liter stovetop pressure cooker or a 3-quart instant pot. If scaling the recipe, use a bigger cooker or instant pot. The cooking time will remain the same.

Difference Between Dal Maharani And Dal Makhani

Dal Maharani is very similar to Dal Makhani, but has unique taste and flavor. Dal Makhani is a richer preparation made with lots of butter added, while the quantity of butter, ghee, and cream is slightly less in Dal Maharani. Dal Maharani is also spicier than its cousin, Dal Makhani, which is mildly spiced. Dal Makhani has a mildly sweet taste, while Dal Maharani has a robust taste.

For The Dal

To make the lentils, you will need whole urad (whole black gram lentils), chitra rajma (red kidney beans), chana dal (Bengal gram lentils), ghee, Kashmiri red chili powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, bay leaves, Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), garam masala powder, butter, unsweetened heavy cream, and fresh ginger. If you don’t have Chitra variety of rajma, use the regular rajma (kidney beans). You can skip adding cream if making it for everyday meals. To make this maharani dal recipe spicier, you can add a few whole spices, such as black cardamom (badi elaichi), green cardamom (hari elaichi), cloves (lung), cinnamon stick (dalchini), cumin seeds, etc. while cooking the lentils.

For The First Tempering

You will need ghee, onions, Kashmiri red chili powder, and canned tomato puree. If tomato puree is not available, you can use tomato paste in its place.

For The Second Tempering

This is optional but gives this dal a great flavor. For this tadka, you will need butter (or ghee), garlic, and Kashmiri red chili powder.

½ cup whole urad (whole black lentils) ¼ cup chitra rajma (red kidney beans) ¼ cup chana dal (Bengal gram lentils)

Soak them together or separately in 3-4 cups of water for 8-10 hours or overnight. Add them to a pressure cooker along with the following ingredients.

2 tablespoon ghee 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste 1 teaspoon salt 2 whole bay leaves.

Add 3 cups of water and stir well. Close the lid of the cooker. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and mash the lentils with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until creamy. Add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 tablespoon of crushed Kasuri methi ½ teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) 2 tablespoon unsweetened heavy cream 2 teaspoon of ginger juliennes

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add some more water if the dal is too thick. Check for salt and add more if needed. Add 2.5 cups of water and stir well. Close the lid of the pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 20 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE. The instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and the timer to start. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the vent to the venting position. Use a spoon to move the vent to prevent steam burn of the fingers. Open the lid and mash the dal with the back of a ladle or a potato masher until creamy. Press SAUTE and heat until the lentils start to bubble. Add the following ingredients and mix well.

1 tablespoon of crushed Kasuri methi ½ teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoon heavy cream 2 teaspoon of ginger juliennes

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add some more water if the dal is too thick. Check for salt and add more if needed. Once the ghee is hot, add ¼ cup of chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown, stirring frequently. Add 7 oz (200 g) of canned tomato puree and 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the tempering over the cooked dal and mix well. Heat 1 tablespoon butter (or ghee) in a small pan. Once the butter is melted, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and fry until it turns light brown in color. Switch off the heat, add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, and stir gently. Immediately pour the tempering over the dal. Serve!