Atul Kochhar Dal Makhani Slow Cooker

Source video by Food Network UK on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Atul Kochhar walks through the dal makhani he grew up smelling in his mother's kitchen in Jamshedpur. Whole black lentils (urad dal) and red kidney beans are simmered low and slow with ginger, halved green chilli, water and a pinch of salt. Meanwhile a tarka of cumin in oil meets the onions, tomato and powdered coriander and chilli, all of which goes back into the lentils to finish. The dish is named not for the butter (although there is plenty) but for its makhani consistency: long-cooked, creamy, smoky. The slow cooker version replaces Atul's 90-minute simmer with a hands-off low cook and reunites the masala for the final stretch.

Ingredients

• whole black lentils (urad dal), rinsed thoroughly
• red kidney beans, soaked overnight, drained
• fresh ginger, skin on for flavour, or peeled if preferred
• green chilli, stalk removed, halved lengthways
• fine salt, a pinch
• water, enough to cover the lentils by 2.5 cm (1 inch)

• neutral cooking oil, heated to just below smoking (add late)
• cumin seeds (add late)
• onion, finely chopped (add late)
• coriander powder (add late)
• red chilli powder (add late)
• tomatoes, chopped (add late)

• unsalted butter (add late)
• 200 mlsingle cream (add late)
• garam masala (add late)
• dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), rubbed between palms into a fine green powder (add late)

Method

1. Rinse the black lentils thoroughly. Soak the dried kidney beans overnight, drain, then bring them to a hard rolling boil in fresh water for 10 minutes and drain.

   ~15 min

2. Tip the lentils and kidney beans into the slow cooker. Add the ginger, halved green chilli and a pinch of salt. Pour in enough water to cover by 2.5 cm (1 inch).

   ~3 min

3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 5 hours, until the lentils are soft, creamy and starting to give up their shape.

   ~480 min

4. In a frying pan, heat the oil to just below smoking. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle.

   ~1 min

5. Add the onion and cook until softened.

   ~5 min

6. Add the coriander powder and red chilli powder, then immediately the tomatoes so the spices do not burn.

   ~1 min

7. Cook the masala until the tomatoes have disintegrated.

   ~8 min

8. Stir the whole masala into the slow cooker. Continue on low for a final 30 to 45 minutes.

   ~40 min

9. Drop the heat indicator down. Stir through the butter, then 200 ml of single cream, then the garam masala, then the dried fenugreek leaves. Stir until creamy.

   ~2 min

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