Dal Makhni - King of all Dals

If you were to name a dish that is as popular as Chole, easy to prepare and yet equally tasty, it is Dal Makhni. Those who have never tried, this dish looks tough but is extremely easy to prepare. Interestingly there is another dish similar to this named Dal Bukhara which perhaps is less known than Dal Makhni. People say that adding rich cream  makes this dish Dal makhni although the confusion still exists. To shed some more light go to
 http://www.virsanghvi.com/vir-world-ArticleDetail.aspx?ID=451

For this you need:-
1 tsp cooking oil
1 cup Whole Urad Dal/ Kaali Dal
1/4 cup Rajma or kidney beans
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
salt to taste
red chilly powder
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp ginger
3 tomatoes pureed  ( 2  is enough if tomatoes are sour)
1 tsp dal makhni masala or Garam masala
1 cup milk
Sour cream (to decorate)
1 tsp Kasoori Methi (optional)



Seasoning
Thin slices of ginger
2 Red chillies
pinch of Asafoetida
chopped coriander leaves
Butter (optional)
1 tsp oil

Method

1)  Cook the pulses in pressure cooker with salt and using 6 cups of water . (yes this needs a lot of water)

2) In another pan, add some oil. Add cumin seeds. Once they crackle add garlic, ginger. After a minute, add pureed tomatoes. Add garam masala.

3) Once tomatoes get cooked, add the cooked dal. Add 1 cup milk. Stir once. Add Kasoori Methi. Now simmer the flame, close it with lid and let the dal get cooked.

4) The aroma of dal would spread which means it is almost done. Keep checking that the dal does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

5) For seasoning, take a pan. Add oil. Add red chillies and once they crackle, add asafoetida and pour the seasoning on the dal. Season dal with chopped coriander leaves and thinly sliced ginger. You could decorate it with thick curd or sour cream.