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–+ servings

Green Lentil Dal Makhani

A creamy, decadent green lentil dal makhani style curry that is simple to make at home in one pot! Serve this vegetarian delight with naan bread or rice.
4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
4.69 from 54 ratings
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Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 6 small cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp ginger
  • 4 chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, or you can substitute mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp chili powder, see notes
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 200 g (1 cup) dried green lentils
  • 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 60 ml (0.25 cups) double cream / heavy cream
  • 25 g (2 tbsp) salted butter
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • A couple handfuls of fresh coriander, cilantro leaves to garnish.

Instructions 

  • In a medium-large saucepan, heat a glug of olive oil and sautee onion until soft.
  • Add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Mix for another minute or so until the fragrances start to release.
  • Add the tomatoes a small pat of the butter (holding the rest back to mix in at the end) and simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they break down and start to reduce.
  • Add the chili powder, turmeric and garam masala and stir through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the kidney beans, green lentils and 2.5 cups of boiling water.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft. (That's just a minimum - you can leave it simmering longer if you like.)
  • Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream and butter until melted in.
  • Let set for about 5 minutes before serving.
  • Scatter with coriander (cilantro) leaves after dishing it up.

Notes

1/2 tsp chili powder gives the curry a tiny bit of spice to it, but it's mild. Add more if you prefer a hotter curry, or reduce / omit if you don't want any spicy kick at all.
If you don't use fresh tomatoes, you could swap in about 1 cup of passata (pureed tomatoes) or a few Tbsps of tomato paste. If you use tomato paste, add some extra water.
I don't peel my tomatoes, so there are some bits of tomato skin mixed in with the dal, which I have zero problem with, but you could take the extra step of peeling them if you wish. Score the skins with a knife, let them sit in boiling water for a minute or two, and the skins should peel off easily.
You can swap brown lentils for green lentils, no problem.
If you prefer a smoother finish, you can use an immersion blender to blend a little bit of the dal until you get the texture you like.
Nutritional information is based on a portion that is 1/4th of the recipe.
Cuisine: Indian Inspired
Course: Soups & Stews
Serving: 1g, Calories: 273kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 285mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 8g