Dal Makhani

Dal makhani is a very famous dish in all north Indian restaurants and goes well with pulao or naan. This is actually a very nutritional dish rich in proteins and calcium as it has red beans and lentils. But most of restaurants add excess of butter and cream to make it rich and tasty. But mine is healthy recipe in which you can get a similar rich taste by slow cooking and adding milk instead to the sauce.

Ingredients

½ cup –red kidney beans
½ cup- whole black lentils(urad dhal)
½ onion- finely chopped
1 cup-tomato puree
2 tsp- ginger garlic paste
1 tsp- chilli powder
¼ tsp- turmeric powder
1 tsp- coriander powder
1 tsp- cumin seeds
2-3 -green chilies(optional)
1 tsp- kastoori methi leaves(dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp- garam masala
½-1 cup- 2% milk
2 tsp- olive oil
½ tsp – ghee (optional)
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

Directions

Soak the red kidney beans overnight or for min 4 hours.
Pressure cook the kidney beans with whole black lentils and little salt for 3-4 whistles or till its fully cooked (cook in low flame for slow cooking and even cooking of the beans and lentils.)
In pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds, chillis followed by onions and keep stirring them till onions turns golden brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and keep stirring for a min before adding the tomato puree.
Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes.
Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, kastoori methi , garam masala ,coriander powder and salt and allow it cook for another 5-10 minutes. ( add the water from boiled lentil and beans if the sauce gets very thick)
Now add the cooked lentils and beans to this boiling sauce and allow to thicken.
Add the milk to desired thickness of the sauce and cook for another 5 mins.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving.
Add the ½ tsp ghee finally to get a good and rich aroma.

Benefits of kidney beans

Kidney beans is high in iron and can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. A one cup serving of kidney beans provides 28.9% of the daily recommended intake for iron.
It’s a good source of protein and is a good replacement for meats which are high in proteins and fat.
It high in fibre which helps in digestive disorders and prevents constipation. A cup of cooked kidney beans provides 45.3% of the recommended daily intake for fiber.
The dietary fiber in these beans also helps lower the blood cholesterol levels in the body. Hence, the risk of certain diseases, like stroke, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, is reduced to a considerable extent.
The soluble fiber present in the kidney bean regulates the blood glucose absorption from the body. Hence, it is essential for diabetics (insulin resistance) to consume kidney beans on a regular basis.