Dal Maharani Recipe

Adapted from my original eatyeats.com recipe found here to account for kid-friendliness and Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) instructions since I no longer own the stove pot pressure cooker.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup black urad whole dal
• 1/2 cup red kidney beans
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 cinammon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (see above)
• puree of 1 onion and 1 green chili (e.g serrano) seeds removed. For spicier dishes you can experiment with
  • Half seeds removed next time OR
  • 2 green chilis with seeds removed 
  • OR 1 green chili including seeds
• 3 pureed tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1.5 tsp garam masala divided into 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• oil for cooking (vegetable, canola or grapeseed is fine)
• 1 tbsp ghee (optional)
• cilantro for garnish

Method

• Soak the lentils and beans in 3 cups of water for ~4 hours.
• Turn your instant pot to sauce and low heat 
• Put 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tbsp ghee in your pressure cooker and heat on low heat until melted and the oil is hot.
• Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and 2 cloves and let them fry for 1 minute.
• Then add pureed onion/green chili mix.
• Add salt, turmeric and chili powder to the mix and stir to combine.
• Cook the onion and spice mix till the onion mix changes color, going darker brown, water has dried up, the onion has started to reduce in quantity and oil begins to ooze out of the onions. Stir occasionally.
  • 3-5 minutes on low heat.
• Add the ginger garlic paste, continuing to sitr the mixture another 1 minute.
• Then add cumin and coriander continuing to stir for another 1 minute. The color should have changed more and be even darker.
• Add the tomato pruee and cook for 2-3 more minutes continuing to stir.
• Add 1 tsp garam masala
• Add lentils and beans including the water they were soaked in and stir it all together. 
• Add 1/2 cup of water. 
• Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes
• Natural release 10 mins
• Give everything a good stir. Give it a taste. If the red beans still seem firm, turn on the heat and cook down for a little longer, perhaps another 5 minutes.
• Add the 1 cup of cream, 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/2 tsp ground pepper.
• Stir through and add some cilantro leaves.
• Garnish with more cilantro if you like and enjoy!