This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
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
-
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 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
-
In a large pan or a cleaned out instant pot, add oil and heat on medium-high heat or saute mode in the IP.
-
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). Deglaze with 2 tbsp of water if needed.
-
Add the cooked black gram, kidney beans and the water they were cooked in.
-
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.
-
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.
This looks so good! Do you have a garam masala recommendation or a recipe you use to make your own? I have a jarred garam masala, and I kind of hate it. It is way too heavy on cloves and they overpower. Maybe I could use a favorite curry powder instead?
I usually use Deep or Swad brand Whole garam masala.(https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=whole+garam+masala&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awhole+garam+masala)
I blend up small batches and store for a month or so. the whole spices keep the masala fresh for longer, upto a year.
*grind small batches of the whole spice blend.
No I didn’t add the tomato while cooking. I will use the split urad now! To cook the whole ones in the crock pot is 8-10 hours on HIGH with over night soaking! I buy them at Patel Brothers so I know they are fresh. Thanks for your recipes! I love them!
that is indeed odd. maybe a bad batch of the urad then. you can try cooking just the whole urad in a pan, covered, 3 cups water for 1/2 cup whole urad, on high heat on stove top for an hour and see if they get tender at all. if they don’t then it is a bad batch.
the split urad will cook much faster and will also have a lighter color. the taste of the dal makhani should be similar though.
see above
Richa,
I would love to make this but I don’t have a pressure cooker. I have a hard time cooking black lentils in the slow cooker since they take all day! What am I doing wrong? This is my favorite dal of all time! How do I cook the lentils in the slow cooker? I also bought a bag of split black lentils and now I am confused on what to do with them. I got them because the whole ones took all day even with overnight soaking!! Really!
thank you for your advice! Maureen
hmm. did you add the tomato etc to the beans while cooking? the acid can prevent the beans from breaking down.
overnight soaked whole urad breaks down quicker than kidney beans.
you can use the split urad to make dal as well. use it anywhere where it calls for red lentils or yellow mung dal.
Richa, do not cook this dish in a slow cooker if you’re starting with raw kidney beans, as they produce Phytohemagglutinin when not cooked in high-enough heat. Phytohemagglutinin is very toxic and may even cause death. If you must use a slow cooker, boil the beans for a while before putting them on the slow cooker. You can make a web search on safe methods to cook kidney beans.
Thanks for letting me know. I will add that info to the post. I love my pressure cooker for making dals.
Best recipe good for lunch or diner thank you for posting
Best recipe good for lunch or diner thank you for posting
What do you mean by pressure cooking to x number of whistles? My pressure cooker doesn’t whistle… 🙁 Just minutes?
See:
Pressure cook black gram and Kidney beans in 3.5 cups of water with salt and chili powder for 3-4 whistles.
Hi Eric, there are several types of pressure cooker. some have different pressure settings. the one i am using has a whistle top which acts as the pressure regulator. (this model https://hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp) and it only has setting for high pressure. when the pressure inside builds up to high pressure, the pressure regulator automatically releases a little pressure to keep it maintained at a safe high pressure. that release sounds like a whistle because of the sudden steam release. I should change the instructions on the post for other types of pressure cookers.
for cooking the black gram and kidney beans, keep the pressure regulator at high pressure for 10 minutes at high heat, then reduce the eat to low-medium and continue to cook for another 10.
For the step when the beans are being cooked with the curry, cook on low-medium heat with the pressure regulator at high pressure for 20 minutes.
Hope this helps.
thanks
Thanks for the explanation. My pressure cooker doesn’t ‘whistle’, either. I have not used it much because all recipes that I come across using the pressure cooker talk about ‘whistles’. Looking forward to making this recipe!
This is truly EXCELLENT. I have tried many different dal makhani recipes, and this one is the most authentic and the most delicious one out there. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
This is truly EXCELLENT. I have tried many different dal makhani recipes, and this is definitely the best-tasting and most authentic one out there! Thank you!!!
Thank you Melanie! i am so happy you love it
One more question, Have you shared a recipe for garam masala?
not yet,. soon:)