This past week has been very exciting for both of us. First, we were all set to go to NYC on Wednesday when a Nor’easter storm shuttered the east coast and created dangerous travel conditions . We left work very early and stayed home for the rest of the day. I did not do anything except exploring a bunch of new recipes. We ordered Indian takeout from a nearby restaurant and watched Big Bang Theory again (Season 5).
Whenever I order in or dine out at an Indian restaurant I always order dal makhani. I prefer it over anything else. When I was a child, we would occasionally order dal makhani from a Punjabi Dhaba. The taste was divine. But, as that food was not very healthy, we were not allowed to eat it quite so often. Mom used to make her own simple low-calorie version most of the time.
Before digging into the dal makhani, here is some happy news from storyofcooks.com. First, Deeba Rajpal agreed to do a guest post for my blog a couple of weeks back. I am very much honored that she accepted my request and did a wonderful interview. Please stop by at this post and admire her brilliant work. Second, our chinese fried rice won the second position in the fit foodie contest. It is not about winning – I enjoyed taking part in it. Thank you, everyone who supported and loved my recipe.
As I said, the whole week was very exciting for us!!
A few weeks back, I purchased a slow cooker to make chili, soup, etc. Now I wonder why I did not buy it before. So when I decided to make dal makhani this week, I thought of nothing other than my beloved slow cooker. I told M quite a few times, how much I admire the slow cooker. After eating my dal makhani, he said, “There are many people who cook good food, but there are very few who can cook healthy yet delicious food.” I consider this to be the best compliment he has ever given me. Sorry, if I sound like I work for the slow cooker company, but the benefits of a slow cooker are beyond imagination. First, while cooking you can do other stuff. Second, it allows you to use less oil than you generally use. As my husband said, the dish is healthy and very delicious. You need to soak the dal overnight if you are preparing dal makhani in a pressure cooker. But in a slow cooker, you can skip that part. (You can read the benefits of a slow cooker here.)
When I dunk my first piece of bread and take a bite, I feel like I am on cloud nine. Seriously, eating dal makhani with naan, pita bread or Jeera rice is pure bliss. I prefer to garnish it with cilantro and julienned ginger strips.
Recipe for Slow Cooker Dal Makhani
Ideal is to slow cook for overnight(8-10 hours) on low with 4 cups of water. You can not overcook the recipe, more you cook better it tastes. Also, this is the best in the next day because flavors from all spices blend into the dal.
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger
- 4 pods of garlic
- 2 Green chiles
- 1.5 cup urad dal (whole unskinned black lentils), washed and drained
- 2 tablespoon clarified butter
- 5 cups water – `
- Salt to taste
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon crushed kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 teaspoon red chile powder
- 1 teaspoon amchoor powder
- pinch of garam masala
- 1/4 cup fresh cream
Garnish
1. In a food processor, make a rough paste of ginger, garlic and green chiles.
2. In the slow cooker, add dal, 4 cups water, ginger-garlic-chile paste, 1 tablespoon butter and salt. Slow cook it overnight(8-10 hours). You can do it in 4-5 hours on high settings, but use 6 cups of water.
3. After dal is cooked, add onion, tomato, spices and salt, 1 tablespoon clarified butter and 1 cup water. Cook it for another 2-3 hours on high. [DO NOT ADD THE CREAM NOW]
4. When it’s done, add fresh cream and take it aside. Garnish with cilantro and ginger,
This is best served hot with naan or Jeera rice.
Hi Dolphia, I recently came across your website and I have been a big fan of your cooking/ writing/ healthy eating habits. I started my Whole30 diet( Also inspired by you). At my free time at work, I have been scrolling through each post of yours from every group(very religiously!).
Would you recommend any specific brand for slow cooker ?
P.S – I am catching up on this 2014 post so I hope to hear back from you
Thank you for inspiring,
Sonali
Here you go: http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33967A-Programmable-6-Quart/dp/B00EZI26DW?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage