Vegan Dahl Makhani

I absolutely adore Indian food. Like the country it comes from, Indian cuisine is so diverse, rich and delicious. I spent several years travelling around the subcontinent when I was a teenager, tasting local dishes everywhere I went and falling in love with it all. From Momos and Thukpa in northern Himachal Pradesh, Idli and Dosa in the Tamil Nadu to Biryani in Kolkata, the food throughout India changes dramatically with the landscape and the culture from state to state, exciting the senses and breaking any stereotypes of what westernised Indian food has led us to believe.

Dahl is a total classic, eaten at most meals in most states. This lentil dish can range from simple and soup-like to creamy or burning hot, eaten with breads or rice. I have no idea how many different dahls I have eaten, but I remember dahl makhani as one of my favourites. It is originally from Punjab – a Northern Indian state with a cuisine famous for it´s buttery and rich flavours. This dahl is traditionally made with A LOT of butter and cream – Mahkani literally meaning, “with butter,”and is just deliciously indulgent. I decided to make a vegan version, and after watching many youtube videos and reading recipes, I came up with this lighter version, using vegan butter and coconut milk.

This recipe uses dried Urad Dal, a black gram similar to mung beans, which give the dish it´s distinctive meaty taste and creamy texture. These are quite vital so I hope you are able to source them! I am lucky enough to live very near many different asian supermarkets in Edinburgh´s Southside, so am able to pick up many different spices, pulses, chutneys and grains within a five minute walk! This is the reason I love living where I live – there is a lot of cultural diversity and with that comes the ability to buy necessary ingredients for my international palate! The fun thing about Indian cooking is that I usually have to buy a couple of new spices every time I make a new recipe, meaning my spice cupboard grows organically and I learn a lot about new flavours.

I learnt to cook this in a traditional way, with several steps that create layers of flavour. First you soak the lentils/beans overnight, and then boil them along with some whole spices. Next you prepare the gravy or sauce, using powdered spices, ginger, garlic, onion paste and blended tomatoes. Finally you combine everything together, cooking for a while with a few additions, creating depth and deliciousness! If you want to use dairy, go ahead and use real butter and cream instead of the coconut milk!

This is not the simplest of recipes – it takes time and patience and uses a lot of different spices, but Indian food is rather complex and the outcome is so worth it! This dish is just YUM and has become one of my favourites. After all, what is cooking but good ingredients, patience and love! x

INGREDIENTS

For the dahl

• 1 Cup Black Urad Dal (Dried)
• 1/4 Cup Red Kidney Beans (Dried)
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Black Cardamon
• 3 Green Cardomon
• 4 Cloves

For the masala/gravy

• 1 Tbsp Sunflower Oil
• 1 Tbsp Vegan Butter (I use Flora Buttery)
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
• 1 Thumb-Sized piece of ginger, crushed
• 2 Onions, blended to a paste
• 1/2 Tsp Tumeric
• 1 Tsp Red Chilli powder
• 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
• 3 Tomatoes, blended to a paste
• Salt

In addition

• 1 Can Coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
• 2 Fresh Green Chillies, Split
• Small Chunk of Ginger, cut into matchsticks/juliennes
• 1 Tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• Fresh Coriander

METHOD

Prepare the dahl

1. Soak the urad dal and red kidney beans (rajma) overnight.
2. Pour the dal/beans into large saucepan along with the soaking water. Now add the whole spices – 1 piece of cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 2 black cardamon, 3 green cardamon, 4 cloves. Add more water, and boil for about an hour. The urad dal and beans should be soft enough to squash between your fingers. Now let this sit to the side, and KEEP THE WATER!

Make the gravy

1. Heat sunflower oil and vegan butter in a large saucepan.
2. Add cumin seeds, and cook for a few minutes, letting them sizzle without burning.
3. Add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add in your onion paste. Cook together for about 5 minutes until most of the water has evaporated and the mixture has turned a light, golden brown.
5. Next, add in the ground spices (tumeric, red chilli powder, coriander, cumin and garam masala). Stir into the onion mixture, cooking for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.
6. Add in tomato paste. I like to use 3-4 blended fresh tomatoes, but you can also use a can of chopped tomatoes here.
7. Add in about 1/2 Tbsp salt, or to taste. Now cook for a while until the sauce is reduced, and you have a deep, rich paste that smells delicious!

Cooking time!

1. Now add the cooked dahl and it´s deliciously spiced water to the gravy. Add in more water, about 1 cup, and cook together. Now the timing here is really up to you and how much time you have! The longer you cook this, the deeper the flavour and the smoother the consistency. I usually cook in on a low heat for 1-2 hours!
2. Towards the end of cooking, add in the coconut milk, 1-2 Tbsp butter (don´t be shy!), split fresh chillies and fresh ginger juliennes.
3. Stir together with some fresh chopped coriander, and cook for about 10 more minutes until thick, creamy, buttery and delicious!

A little extra

You can add in a final touch here if you want – simply heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan and add in 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder allowing it to bubble before pouring into your cooked dahl. This traditional process called tarka adds an extra layer of flavour and colour just before serving.

And your dahl is done! Serve this dollop of deliciousness with rice, naan or chapatis. We usually have it with pilau rice, garlic naan and a simple salad made with red onion, tomato, cucumber and coriander as well as shop bought pickles and chutneys. This is honestly a total feast, get practising so you can cook it for friends and family when the time comes! Enjoy! x