What is Dal Makhani?
This is staple dish in Punjab, North India. This flavorful, creamy, rich black lentils are usually served with rice or naan, paratha. The Punjabi meal is not complete without dal makhani – rice or dal fry (instant pot) – jeera rice. Here Makhani means ‘Buttery’. As the name says, the good amount of butter is used while making instant pot dal makhani. Speaking of dal (lentils), we are using the mixture of whole black lentils (Urad) and red kidney beans (rajma). Black lentils are used in more quantity while kidney beans quantity just a little. The traditional method of making dal makhani (the way it is made in dhaba) is very time consuming. It takes hours of cooking on stove top. It is quicker to make in pressure cooker. And easier to make in Instant pot. It taste better when simmered slowly on stove top for hours. But nowadays who has that much time, we are using the quick route here but we are not compromising on taste here. Trust me, it tastes equally good as made traditional way.
Instant Pot Dal Makhani Recipe Rundown:
Taste & Texture: Rich, creamy, buttery, lightly spiced with soft, melt-in-your-mouth lentils Pros: made quickly vs traditional method without compromising taste and flavors. Vegan friendly (Options included below) Cons: buttery goodness is not good for health. But who cares? Though healthy option included below.
Few Notes on Instant Pot Dal Makhani:
It requires overnight or at least 8 hours soaking. So always plan ahead. Soaked black lentils take 25 minutes to cook in Instant pot. And brown basmati rice also takes almost same time to cook. So why not make both together using PIP (pot-in-pot) method. See below. The amount of butter and cream used here is not good for everyday cooking and health. So the vegan option is the wise choice for daily meal. Vegan option: Use oil instead of butter. Skip the cream. The black lentils are little creamy itself, so no need to use any vegan cream.
