Using a slow cooker for this dal curry recipe is brilliant--the lentils cook until they're perfectly tender. For the creamiest results, use whole urad dal (versus split), which you can get online or at Indian markets. This particular bean breaks down beautifully, giving the dish its rich, creamy texture. For a stovetop variation, see below. Serve it over rice with Indian-style green chutney and a side of plain yogurt.

Slow-Cooker Dal Makhani

water

dry whole urad dal, rinsed

red kidney beans, rinsed

onion,

garlic,

ginger

salt

cardamom pods

cloves

turmeric

cumin seeds

garam masala

cayenne pepper

tomatoes

cilantro,

Combine water, urad dal and kidney beans in a 4 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Soak for 8 to 12 hours.


Turn the slow cooker to Low. Stir in onion, garlic, ginger, salt, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and cayenne. Cover and cook for 10 hours.


Remove the cardamom pods, if desired. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with more cilantro, if desired.


I made this recipe twice so far and about to make it a third time.  First time I added spices as mentioned but made my spoonfuls heaping.  I also doubled the crushed tomatoes (by accident) and it turned out really good.  Second time, I did the same with the right amount of tomato and it turned out well.  That's the way I am going to do it from now on.  Only one observation about lentils, I find that even when soaking them overnight or longer, they always cook better when the crock pot is set on high.  Low just doesn't seem to get the same results.  This is my go to recipe for dahl.

I made this recipe as written.  When finished, I felt it was under-spiced and had a rather objectionable bitter undertone.  To adjust it I added more garam masala, some ground cumin, a bit of ground cardamom and a teaspoon or so of agave syrup.

With those modifications, the dal was okay and I found best served over brown basmati rice (not traditional, I know).  This recipe makes A LOT and I froze some without the cilantro so I wouldn't tire of it well before finishing it all.

In reply to tonyvaldi's comment, unfortunately, substituting the split urad dal for the whole urad dal is not an equivalent or near equivalent substitution.   The whole urad dal has a skin and an earthiness that cannot be found in split urad.  The uses for these lentils are completely different in Indian cooking, although, by the American names, it would seem like a logical substitution, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way.  Whole urad dal also thickens much more than the split variety.  
I really hope you get a chance to re-try the recipe using whole urad, and feel free to omit cloves.  This recipe is analogous to restaurant-style Dal Makhani which has many layers of spice and depth.

I had split urad dal and substituted that for whole; otherwise I made the recipe as written for stovetop. I put the whole cloves and cardamom pods in a teabag to make sure I was able to remove them all. It was VERY bitter, as if there were far too many cloves. I ended up having to add sugar, a lot more salt, some lime juice, tomato paste, extra tomatoes, a little butter and whole milk to get it palatable. Now it is very like a soup, there is a lot of it, and I will have to serve it over rice . . . . Something seems off in the spice amounts.

slow-cooker dal makhani

Total: 18 hours, 10 minutes

Author : Shefaly Ravula & Amee Meghani

Ingredients

Instructions

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