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thick dark brown whole black lentil dal with visible kidney beans beside a modest mound of brown basmati rice in one plain bowl, with no cream swirl, naan or garnish
Melissa Hart

Slow Cooker Dal Makhani

Whole black lentils give dal makhani its creamy texture when they cook long enough, so the finishing spoonful of yogurt is doing a smaller job than a cup of cream would; use whole urad dal, not split white lentils, and soak them overnight before this slow-cooker version. Canned kidney beans avoid asking the crock to safely cook raw kidney beans. The listed rice portion is modest because the lentils already make a dense, satisfying bowl. Estimated calories: about 330 per serving, including everything listed.
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Prep Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 16 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry whole urad dal whole black gram, picked over and rinsed
  • 1 can 15 oz no-salt-added kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can 14.5 oz no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 3 cups water for cooking
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup dry brown basmati rice
  • 1 1/2 cups water for rice

Method
 

  1. Cover urad dal with at least 3 inches of cold water in a bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours; this soaking time is included in prep time. Drain and rinse.
  2. Place soaked dal, canned kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, salt and 3 cups fresh water in a 6-quart slow cooker.
  3. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours until the whole dal is very soft. Mash about 1 cup against the side of the cooker and stir it back through the pot.
  4. During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan, reduce to low and cook for 40 to 45 minutes, then rest covered for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir butter into the dal and turn off the cooker. Let bubbling stop for 5 minutes, then whisk yogurt with 1/2 cup hot dal and stir the tempered mixture back in.
  6. Divide rice and dal among 6 bowls, adding a spoonful of the thick cooking liquid to each portion.