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Lots more Dals, Bean/Lentil Stews here
Black gram/ Urad Whole (Black Matpe Bean)
Black gram is different than black lentils. Black gram looks like a black mung bean, fat and cylindrical, while black lentils(beluga) are black colored flat lentils. You can use black lentils or other lentils in this recipe if you don’t have black gram. I have only seen it in Indian stores and online, so it can be difficult to come by.
Red Kidney Beans
Whole Urad lentils, Vigna mungo, black gram or black lentil are these pretty lentils which look like black Mung beans. The beans are available as whole or split or split+skinned like most whole lentils in India.
Urad lentils are also extensively used in South Indian culinary preparations, such as dosa crepes, idli – steamed lentil cakes, vada – savory doughnuts, and Papad/Papadum (Ground into flour or soaked and fermented etc).
Step by step photos:
Tempering/Tadka Ingredients.
Heat oil. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant.
Add garlic, ginger, chili and cook until golden.
Add onions and cook until translucent.
Add tomatoes, asafetida, garam masala and cook until tomatoes are tender.
Add tempering to cooked beans. Add milks, mix well.
Cook until the beans are mushy.
Serve hot topped with a dollop of vegan butter or olive oil. The pictured Dal is cooked in a pressure cooker that breaks the beans down really well. If using slow cooker or crockpot to cook the dal, mash some of the dal with a spatula.
Vegan Dal Makhani - Black lentils and Beans in creamy buttery gravy
Ingredients
For the Lentils:
- 1 cup whole black gram, , Urad Whole or use black lentils(see first paragraph for sub options)
- 1/2 cup kidney beans, , Rajma
- 3.5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder, or cayenne or to taste
For the Tempering:
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2-3 green chilis finely chopped, I use Serrano chili pepper
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 medium size onion, chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida, hing
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 medium size tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala, regular or punjabi
- 1 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, Kasoori methi, or Use a 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds-Optional
- 2 Tablespoons Almond milk
- 1/3 cup Cashew milk, Blend 3 tbsp cashews in 1/3 cup water until smooth.
- Vegan butter such as Earth Balance as needed
Instructions
- Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
- Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 3-4 whistles (25 minutes at high pressure once pressure has reached).
- Or use a slow cooker to cook urad beans and keep ready. Kidney beans cannot be cooked in a slow cooker from raw state, so use 1 cup cooked canned beans.
- In a large pan, add oil and heat on medium-high heat.
- Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
- Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
- Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
- Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step).
- Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
- Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix, taste and adjust salt.
- Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
- Simmer on low heat till the dals/beans are totally soft. Mash some of the lentils with the spatula. 30 minutes.
- Or Pressure cook for 5 minutes at high pressure once the pressure has reached. (1 whistle + simmer for 5)
- Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
- Serve with Roti/Naan flatbread or Rice Pilaf or other cooked grains like Quinoa, millet.
Video
Notes
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Soak the lentils and beans overnight.
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Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
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In a large pan or a cleaned out instant pot, add oil and heat on medium-high heat or saute mode in the IP.
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Add cumin seeds and cook till they start to change color.
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Add ginger, garlic and green chili and saute until golden.
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Add onion, asafetida and cook until translucent.
-
Add the tomato and turmeric and cook until tomatoes are mushy. (13-15 minutes till this step). Deglaze with 2 tbsp of water if needed.
-
Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
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Add garam masala, fenugreek and the milks. Mix really well to pick up any stuck bits, taste and adjust salt.
-
Add more water if the mixture is too thick.
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Pressure cook for 5 to 10 mins, Or simmer on saute for 30 minutes.(depends on your preferred consistency of the beans). Mash some of the lentils with the spatula.
- Top with a small dollop of vegan butter or olive oil and cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello Richa,
Can you explain the flavor or how essential of asafoetida to a dish? I bought it once, but as soon as brought it into my home, the odor completely took over the house. sorry it smells like my son’s socks after a football game. I had to remove it immediately from my home & never used it. I can’t imagine it tasting different than it smells. As I learning to cook Indian traditional recipes, I ofter wonder if I’m missing important ingredient. Thanks for so much for sharing!
You can eliminate it in most dishes. it gives a somewhat garlic type of flavor to the dish and also helps degas the beans and lentils. the quantity used is quite less so the difference in taste with or without it is not very noticeable.
Beautiful, as always, Richa!
I so have to make this! Looks incredible.
I made this tonight, along with your naan(and a cumin spinach + potato dish) and it was fantastic. I used oat cream for the milks specified and it was wonderfully rich and flavourful. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
what is oat cream?
yea how to make oat cream?
I love the word, “buttery gravy.” I like wet foods, i.e., curry, soup, noodle soup, moist baos, etc. Congrats with the guest post at Vedged Out, I like her blog, too. I will check out your recipe!
Do you know, I’ve been meaning to make dal makhani for ages, and never got around to it, mainly as it all seemed a bit vegan unfriendly. Thanks for changing my mind!
so beautiful clicks…wonderful daal makhni
Thanks so much for this Richa. My Mum bought me a bag of black gram a while ago (she knows I love food presents!) but I haven’t looked into how to use it. Now I have a recipe! It looks great, and I even have some oat cream in my fridge to use up which I’m sure would work fine instead of the almond/cashew milk 🙂
Mmmm, “buttery gravy”…
thats the closest translation.. Its difficult to find the exact translation for makhani:)
healthy and yummy recipe..
Thank you:)