India's famous Dal Makhani made the in the slow cooker. Lightly tempered, creamy and tastes great with rice or naan.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 660 minutes
  • Total time: 675 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course, Vegetarian
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Slow Cook Overnight

  • 1 cup urad dal sabut (also known as black lentils)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ghee

To add after slow cooking

  • 3/4 cup tomato puree
  • 3/4 teaspoon garam masala (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mango powder (also known as amchur)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Tempering

  • 2 teaspoons ghee
  • 4-5 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  • 3 whole dried red chilies

Method

  1. Wash the dal and add it to you slow cooker along with 3 cups water, turmeric powder and salt.
  2. Add 2 teaspoons ghee, ginger garlic paste and give a stir.
  3. Mix everything and slow cook for 8 hours. I used normal setting on my slow cooker mode on my Instant Pot.
  4. After 8 hours the dal will be soft and cooked. Take a masher and mash the dal.
  5. Add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, amchur, red chili powder and mix.
  6. Add tomato puree and mix.
  7. Finally add in the butter and mix and slow cook for 2-3 hours again. After the dal has slow cooked for 2-3 hours, add 1/4 cup heavy cream to it.
  8. Heat 2 teaspoons ghee. Once ghee has melted add chopped garlic and whole red chilies.
  9. Saute on medium heat till the garlic starts turning light golden brown.
  10. Transfer tempering to dal. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, little lemon juice and mix.
  11. Garnish with cilantro and serve this slow cooker dal makhani with naan or rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.