Dal Makhani

Ingredients

• 250g whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
• 50g dried red kidney beans
• 1.5 litres water, for cooking
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh root ginger and garlic paste
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, for the sauce
• 150ml double cream
• 2 tbsp butter, to finish

Method

1. Rinse the urad dal and kidney beans and soak them together in plenty of cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.

2. Put the drained dal and beans in a large pan with the 1.5 litres water. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes, as red kidney beans must be boiled hard to be safe to eat, then reduce the heat, add 1 tsp salt, cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes until completely soft and breaking down.

3. Heat the 3 tbsp butter and the ghee in a large, heavy pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 10 minutes until golden. Add the ginger and garlic paste and green chillies and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, chilli powder, cumin and 1 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 10 minutes until thick and oily.

5. Add the cooked dal and beans with their cooking liquid. Simmer uncovered on a low heat for 45 minutes, stirring often and mashing some of the lentils against the pan, until the dal is thick, creamy and dark.

6. Stir in the garam masala, fenugreek leaves and cream. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the 2 tbsp butter. Serve with naan or rice.