Easy Vegan Dal Makhani Recipe

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Recently, I saw potential in a simple and easy or cheat's 'set and forget' dal makhani . My fully vegan 'rendition' is ideal for work - a great way to take a mini break whilst giving the easy cheat's dal makhani a quick stir.

This recipe has almost been 'formulated' to give a much-needed fibre and protein boost or a healthy lunch without requiring much investment of your valuable effort or time. My recipe is much cheaper and freshly cooked compared to the pre-packed dal makhani, allowing for a work snack and novelty worth trying at least once. As an effortless cheat's recipe, it is also relevant to holidays and weekends when wanting a fairly healthy yet tasty snack with minimum effort.

I have also left some links and research into this dish to assist in educating about the restaurant version of the recipe, especially to those unfamiliar, as it is a very famous Delhi -invented modern Indian specialty. It should also be added that I have used brown lentils, not the 'true urad dal', which clearly resembles black caviar in appearance. However, from my online research, one can substitute with brown lentils. See the links section of this article for more about how I was able to figure out the Pattu black lentils are sufficient but not the urad dal that doubtless some readers would be expecting.



Recipe Notes

Dal Makhani
Also spelt as dal makhni, without the extra 'a', but usually seen in online sources as dal makhani, this curry is a slow-cooked combination of black lentils and red kidney beans with spices and tomato. Essentially, this curry is a mix of soaked pulses and a masala - implying a type of spice mix rich in cardamom. In my recipe, I have used that fact to select garam masala as the best spice powder to use (rather than curry powder or a selection of other powders) for a super easy rendition. The elaborate restaurant version, however, is a slow and drawn-out process of slow cooking the pulses and adding the masala combined with other techniques that can add smokiness to the roasted flavour to make the dish complex and gourmet. Hence, dal makhani is served on special occasions in the Indian Subcontinent, despite consisting mainly of pulses, because it normally takes a long and careful amount of preparation.

Links
While not advertised, I could find some insights online in the Pattu (Sabrini) brand. I used in my rendition, which mentioned [LINK https://www.cookwithmanali.com/whole-masoor-dal masoor dal , which I could see was not urad dal. I realised one ought to find a good Indian grocer to source the proper urad dal or black lentils that are truly black-coloured and resemble black caviar. The reason I say the brown lentils advertised as black lentils are sufficient is that it's just a home-cooked snack designed for healthy work or rest; my recipe is not geared to being served at a restaurant.

The ultimate recipe by My Food Story, is a must if wanting to learn about dal makhani cross-culturally. The recipe also has ideal references to making the dal makhani vegan and doing the ultimate recipe in half the usual time. There is also a vegan recipe by the Rainbow Plant Life vegan cooking blog, with high specialisation in making the recipe truly vegan and some insights on urad dal and why washing the lentils is so important with urad dal for presentation purposes. It also references substituting with green/brown lentils and has tips on flavouring the curry to taste coal-smoked. From Kitchen Sanctuary is a simple, easy recipe with a delightful reference to recreating a special restaurant version. While my extra easy recipe itself and some further photos below:

My Recipe
Main Ingredients (serves one person on its own or two if served with rice): one-quarter of a cup Pattu brand red kidney beans, half a cup Pattu black lentils, two cups of water, a teaspoon of garam masala powder, three teaspoons of oil (preferably rice bran oil ), and one to one and a half teaspoons of salt (add more if needed right at the end). Optional (and still vegan) are chilli powder, curry powders hot or mild, bay leaf, tomato puree or paste, coconut or cashew cream, urad dal instead of Pattu lentils, pre-soaking the pulses, onion, coriander, cumin powder, coriander seed powder, garlic and ginger.

Steps: 1. Mix garam masala, rice bran oil, salt, red kidney beans, lentils, and one and a half cups of water and bring to a gentle boil. 2. Reduce to low heat and cover with a lid, checking every hour, adding a little bit of the remaining water to refresh and top up the liquid content. 3. By the two-hour mark, taste the dal makhani, with at least a kidney bean or two, and decide whether to remove and reheat at serving time or cook for longer. 4. Serve with optional rice and presentation such as coconut cream, vegan butter or coriander leaf.









It's recommended to put the ingredients into the saucepan at 9 AM and aim for them to be ready just after midday. This will make a lunch that is high in fibre, promotes energy and health, and is surprisingly flavoursome. I found that I would feel like consuming it yet wouldn't get heartburn, which is not always the case with consuming even mild curries. The occasional use in the workday is more than acceptable, especially if benefitting from the energy and dietary fibre boost that this simple rendition can indeed offer.

Images in this article by its author in year 2024.

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