Dhal Makhani – Renu Bhardwaj

I am Renu, I am a passionate and active lifestyle influencer & mum based in Glasgow. I thrive for the work life balance routine and some days it’s a winged day! I love to cook and I started my page just over a year ago, when I finally pulled courage to create my own page, and I am so glad I did. My love for food stems from family meals I ate growing up around my mum’s kitchen as a young girl and I love to recreate the times I had growing up in an Indian household while blending in Scottish home influences with a twist.

I am delighted to have a food series with BBC Social Scotland, where I like to create and show some easy recipes, family recipes and some delicious fake away Friday dishes too. My page shows some really easy, tasty vegan, vegetarian and a few easy fake way dishes like mums famous kebab! My mum is a great influence on my style of cooking. She has taught me most of my flavours and love for chaat! My food blog journey allows me to be creative and something that my mind focuses for me, my time.

One of my favourite recipes that i’ll be sharing today is Dhal Makhani.

This is one of my favourite Dhal’s to eat. It’s really easy once you’ve added it to a slow cooker for a few hours. It’s so handy to pop overnight ready for your dinner the next day!

Its cooked with a few ingredients and then pimped right up with a delicious finishing tadka (spices cooked in ghee, butter or oil). Usually when I make a tadka I would also add some onions, but it really doesn’t need it as the slow cooked lentils break down and add their own flavour without onions and heavy spices. I am going to keep it simple and delicious and finished with cream (but sometimes I just add butter)

Ingredients:
-1 cup Urad dhal whole black gram lentils
-1/2 cup Rajma kidney beans (optional)
-3 tsp Ginger finely chopped
-3 Garlic Cloves minced
-2 Green Chillies cut lengthwise
-Spices 1tsp of : 1 Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Cumin seeds. 1/2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, salt, cumin powder, and turmeric.
-4 Tbsp. passata
-3 Tbsp butter for slow cooker and 3 for tadka.
-1/4 cup Cream (optional)
-Fresh coriander to garnish.

Method:
-Place the dhal and kidney beans in water. covering over the lentils. with 1tsp of salt and 3 tbsp of butter. Keep on low heat for 6 hours and the last hour on high. Keep mixing with a soft spoon to ensure there is enough water.
-In a large pan, add some generous butter and 2 tsp of oil to temper the cumin seeds, followed straight after with garlic, ginger and chilli. (They will cook fast and pop)
-Add all the spices and it will turn into a dark paste. Add the passata and cook well until you see an oil of film.
-Add the cooked lentils and adjust if you need more water.
-Cook on medium heat for another 15/20 minutes until the tadka has infused well with the dhal making it a nice dark brown with hint of red through it.
-Add the cream.
-Garnish with fresh coriander and some ginger.

Eat this with naan, roti or rice, and side pickled onions.

By Renu Bhardwaj

@hey_renu