By utilizing the slow cooker, my Dal Makhni recipe packs in all the rich, creamy flavor of the traditional Indian recipe with an improved nutritional profile! It’s healthier Indian comfort food!
Dal Makhni is a traditional Indian dish consisting of black lentils, cream, butter, and spices. My version of Dal Makhni is authentic in flavor but cleaned up nutritionally. By utilizing the slow cooker, I’m able to pack in all the rich, creamy flavor of traditional Dal Makhni with only a margin of the butter and cream called for in traditional recipes.
This recipe was inspired by <3M’s love for Dal Makhni. To him, Dal Makhni is a signature dish. It’s the dish he judges all Indian restaurants by. He believes that the quality of a restaurant’s Dal Makhni resonates to the quality of the restaurant overall. It’s his favorite meal, his comfort food. To <3M, Dal Makhni is a BIG DEAL.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a bowl of Dal Makhni as well but I hate how creamy, fatty and buttery it is. It’s not a dish I like to eat on a regular basis nor can I feel good about putting it in my body. I also want<3M to enjoy his favorite foods on a regular basis while still giving his body nutritious food — which is why I was inspired to create a healthier version of Dal Makhni using my slow cooker.
When I told <3M I was going to make a more nutritious, healthier version of his favorite Indian dish, he was awfully skeptical. Traditionally, Dal Makhni is made with about a kilogram of butter. The name itself roughly translates to Butter Lentils — obviously making butter a prominent ingredient in this dish.
My version of Dal Makhni utilizes the slow cooker where a breadth of flavor is developed over a long period of time. At the very end of cooking, I stir in a few tablespoons of butter and cream. Served with fresh, homemade roti, warm rice, pickled onions, and raita, this becomes the perfect Indian comfort meal with only a smidgen of the calories and fat when compared to the original version.
When <3M tasted my healthier version of Dal Makhni for the first time, he were pleasantly surprised to find that I did in fact, achieve the flavors of a traditional Dal Makhni – maintaining its authentic buttery and creamy texture without all the butter and cream — reminding him of the dish he so enjoyed back home in India.
Now, it’s a dish I truly enjoy making and eating. Not only does it remind <3M of home and bring him comfort but it’s also a vegetarian friendly dish that’s healthy, filling and we both feel good about eating!
- 1 cup tomato puree [2 large tomatoes, roasted & pureed or use canned]
- 2 cup urad saboot [black lentils]
- 2 dry, whole red chile
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 4 medium to large cloves garlic
- 15 oz red kidney beans, cooked [I use canned]
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1½ tsp salt
- 3 cups vegetable broth [or water]
- ¾ tsp nutmeg powder
- ½tsp garam masala
- 3 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 4 tbsp methi [dried fenugreek leaves]
- 1 tsp ground fenugreek powder
- ½ tsp red chile powder
- 1 ½ tsp aamchoor powder
- 1 tsp kati salt [black salt]
- 2 ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup cream / half&half / fat-free half&half
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Make the tomato puree, if using, see Notes for instructions and set aside.
- Par-cook the lentils by bringing a pot water to boil. Add lentils and boil 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for roughly 30 minutes. Drain lentils & set aside.
- Prepare the chile-garlic-ginger paste by grinding together with a mortar & pestle. Set aside.
- Once the above is prepped, add the par-cooked lentils & 3 cups vegetable broth [or water] to crockpot with first 2 tbsp butter, and the chile-garlic-ginger paste. Add in spices [salt, nutmeg, garam masala, cumin, fenugreek leaves & powder, chile powder, aamchoor powder, kati salt, coriander & cinnamon] and tomato puree.
- Let everything cook on low for 8 hours.
- Before serving, add the red kidney beans, half & half and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Salt to taste. Let cook an additional 30 minutes.
- If you like your dal a little less thick, stir in an additional ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth [or water].
- Serve over rice & garnish with cilantro.