By 
Dal Bukhara
Dal Bukhara is a rich, creamyslow cooked whole urad dal (black gram) with tomato puree, butter and cream.This recipe is made famous by ITC maurya Hotel in Delhi.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole urad dal or whole black gram
- 250 grams tomatoes or 3 medium to large tomatoes
- 1 inch ginger + 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves - crushed finely in a mortar-pestle - about 2 teaspoons of ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch - if using a hotter variety then use ½ teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 90 to 100 grams white butter or regular butter - about 6 to 7 tablespoons white butter
- 7 to 8 tablespoon low fat cream or 25% to 30% fat or 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 4.5 to 5 cups water for pressure cooking the lentils
- 1 to 1.5 cup water to be added later
- 1 inch ginger - julienned for garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter or cream for garnish (optional)
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation For Dal Bukhara
- Soak the lentils in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours.
- Drain them later and add the drained lentils in a 3 or 4 litre pressure cooker.
- Add 4.5 to 5 cups water and pressure cook the lentils for 16 to 18 whistles or about 18 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile when the lentils are getting cooked, make a puree of the tomatoes in a blender and crush the ginger and garlic to a paste in mortar-pestle.
Making Dal Bukhara
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid of the pressure cooker.
- Then add the ginger garlic paste, tomato puree, kashmiri red chili powder, butter, cream and salt. Also add 1 to 1.5 cups of water.
- Stir very well and keep the pressure cooker without its lid on a low flame. Let the dal simmer for about 1 hour or for 1 hour 30 mins.
- Meanwhile keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don't stick at the bottom of the cooker. Also mash some of the lentils while stirring.
- If the dal bukhara becomes thick, then add some hot water. Once done, check the taste and add more red chili powder or salt if required.
- Lastly sprinkle garam masala powder and stir well.
- While serving dal bukhara, dot with the butter or cream. Garnish with ginger juliennes.
- Serve hot with cumin rice or with Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha or rotis.
Notes
How to bring charcoal flavor in dal bukhara
- Secure firmly a small piece of the coal between a tong.
- Heat it in the flame till it becomes red hot.
- Now place the red hot coal in a small steel bowl. Place this bowl on top of the cooked dal bukhara in the cooker.
- Pour a few tsp of ghee (oil or butter) on the coal and quickly cover the lid of the cooker tightly.
- Keep for a few minutes and then open the lid. If you want a pronounced charcoal flavor in the dal bukhara, then you have to keep for a few minutes more.
