← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 180 g Whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
• 40 g dried red kidney beans (rajma)
• 1.2 l water, for cooking
• 1 tsp Salt
• 50 g butter, divided
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds (optional)
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 3 cm piece Ginger, finely grated
• 4 cloves Garlic, finely grated
• 1 Green chilli, slit (optional)
• 200 ml Passata
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 300 ml hot water
• 80 ml Double (heavy) cream
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed
• ½ tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp salt, or to taste

Method

1. Rinse the urad dal and kidney beans well, then soak them in plenty of water for at least 8 hours.
2. Drain, put them in a large pot with the 1.2 litres of fresh water and the salt, and boil hard for 10 min. Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for about 1 hour, until both are very soft and crush easily between your fingers.
3. Meanwhile, heat half the butter and the ghee in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the bay leaf and cumin, then the onion, and cook for 8 min until golden. Stir in the ginger, garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
4. Add the passata and chilli powder and cook for 8–10 min, until thick and the fat separates.
5. Tip the cooked dal and its liquid into the masala and mash a few ladlefuls against the side of the pan. Add the hot water and simmer on the lowest heat for 30 min, stirring often so it doesn’t stick, until thick and creamy.
6. Stir in the cream, the rest of the butter, the garam masala, kasuri methi and sugar. Simmer for 5 min more, taste for salt and serve with naan or jeera rice.

Tips

• Dried kidney beans must boil hard for at least 10 min to destroy a natural toxin, so never cook them only at a gentle simmer. In a pressure cooker, the dal and beans take about 15 min on high.
• The longer it simmers, the creamier it gets; restaurants cook it for hours on a low flame.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hebbar's Kitchen Cook With Manali