About Dal Bukhara
Dal Bukhara, the more refine version of the very well-known dal makhani, is nothing but whole black gram (urad dal) slow-cooked with tomato puree, choices of spices and herbs, and finished with copious amounts of cream and butter. This is exactly how it should be kept, for the real essence of the dish can only be experienced this way. Dal Bukhara as a dish rose to fame when Chef Madan Jaiswal of the renowned Bukhara restaurant at ITC Maurya, New Delhi created it for its guests and patrons. It was well-received by all and has been associated with many accolades since then. Traditionally, Dal Bukhara is slow-cooked on charcoal ovens in restaurants. But this version is recreated at home and hence involves pressure cooking the lentils in the initial stage, followed by slow-cooking the dish on a stove-top.
I call this version of Dal Bukhara as my ‘labor of love’ towards cooking and food in general. Since the time I had a rendezvous with this simply amazing dish, I’d wanted to recreate it in my home. To begin with, I experimented and made Dal Bukhara twice and felt something was missing. The third time it came close to the original one. The only aspect missing was the charcoal flavor. So, I read more and more on how to bring that touch of uniqueness and got myself accustomed to the technique of smoking, popularly known as dhungar. Details on this are in the notes section after the recipe card. You can also find more about this technique in my recipe of Dal Tadka. I have not slow-cooked the lentils overnight on tandoor, because neither I have wooden or charcoal embers nor do I have a tandoor at home. I don’t even have a slow-cooker that would do a similar job. So, I have pressure cooked the lentils first and then slowly simmered the dal with tomato, cream, butter and ginger-garlic for 1 hour 25 mins, on low heat. This Dal Bukhara recipe is quite rich because of the amount of butter and cream that goes into the preparation. I did try with a lesser amount of butter and cream and it just had that ‘something is missing or just not right’ thing about it. To get the real taste and feel, I would recommend not to reduce the cream or butter. Just make sure to run an extra mile or exercise a bit more to burn all the ‘sin’ that you are going to consume! I have used unsalted white butter and 25% low-fat cream (a.k.a light cream). You can use any good brand of butter and 25% to 35% light cream or whipping cream. I served this Dal Bukhara with jeera rice and some onions by the side. You can also try it with naan, lachha paratha, phulka, tandoori roti or khasta roti, and decide for yourself which combination is the best.
How to make Dal Bukhara
Prep and Cook Lentils
- Soak 1.5 cups whole black gram (urad dal) in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours. Drain them later and add to a 3 or 4-litre stove-top pressure cooker. Add 4.5 to 5 cups water and pressure cook the lentils for 16 to 18 whistles or about 18 to 20 minutes. The photo below is of the soaked and drained lentils. Note that you can choose to cook the lentils in an Instant Pot instead of a stove-top pressure cooker. For cooking in Instant Pot, add 4.5 cups of water or as needed and pressure cook lentils on high for 25 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release and after 18 to 20 minutes open the lid. Lift the pressure valve first to release any steam or pressure and then only open the lid.
- As the lentils are getting cooked, make a smoooth and fine puree of 250 grams tomatoes (3 medium to large tomatoes) in a blender. Crush 1 inch ginger and 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves to a paste (2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste) in a mortar-pestle.
- When the pressure settles down naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid of the pressure cooker. The lentils should be cooked well and softened.
- Now add the prepared ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 6 to 7 tablespoons white butter, 7 to 8 tablespoons low fat cream or light cream, 1 to 1.5 cups water and salt. If using heavy cream or whipping cream add 3 to 4 tablespoons of it.
Make Dal Bukhara
- Mix very well and keep the pressure cooker on low heat on the stovetop, without its lid. For the Instant pot, after the lentils have cooked, use the sauté function and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or more until you get the desired consistency. Stir often.
- Let the dal simmer for about 1 hour or more. Meanwhile keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don’t stick at the bottom of the cooker. 7. Towards the end, check the taste and add more red chili powder or salt if required. Lastly, sprinkle ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and stir well. The consistency of dal bukhara is not runny or watery. So if your dal bukhara looks runny, then continue to cook further. 8. While serving Dal Bukhara, dot with 1 tablespoon butter or cream. Serve hot with Jeera Rice and onion salad.
My Journey with Dal Bukhara
I first came across this simple, but celebrated lentil dish in Femina magazine many years ago. The recipe section featured some chef’s chosen ones from ITC Maurya, in which the Dal Bukhara recipe was also shared. When I read the Dal Bukhara recipe first time, I was surprised that it bore close resemblance to butter chicken or paneer makhani. Also, dal makhani was not in my repertoire then. Today, I can say that the sauce made for Dal Bukhara and dal makhani is similar to butter chicken. What I felt and thought many years back is confirmed in an excellent informative piece here by Vir Sanghvi. I had started collecting recipe cut-outs and keeping them safe in my dairy. But with we shifting our home a few times and along with usual changes in life, Dal Bukhara became a forgotten recipe. When I started food blogging, I went back to my diary for the recipe and could just find a few pages left of the many that I had kept. Out of the pages that were misplaced amidst the hustle-bustle, one of them had the authentic Dal Bukhara recipe of the ITC Maurya fame. This really hurt me back then. But due to my innate nature of not giving up and a true fondness for food, I was able to recollect the ingredients that were used in the original recipe. Just to be sure, I also bought a ready-to-eat Dal Bukhara pack to cross-check the list. It helped me confirm about the ingredients, and then I never looked back. It did take me a few trials and a lot of patience until I developed a Dal Bukhara recipe that I could be proud of.
Expert Tips
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas) Dal Fry Recipe Moong Dal Recipe (Fry & Tadka Versions) Panchmel Dal | Rajasthani Panchratna Dal This Dal Bukhara post from the blog archives first published in April 2014 has been republished and updated on 24 April 2022.
title: “Dal Bukhara Recipe " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-28” author: “Virginia Nieto”
About Dal Bukhara
Dal Bukhara, the more refine version of the very well-known dal makhani, is nothing but whole black gram (urad dal) slow-cooked with tomato puree, choices of spices and herbs, and finished with copious amounts of cream and butter. This is exactly how it should be kept, for the real essence of the dish can only be experienced this way. Dal Bukhara as a dish rose to fame when Chef Madan Jaiswal of the renowned Bukhara restaurant at ITC Maurya, New Delhi created it for its guests and patrons. It was well-received by all and has been associated with many accolades since then. Traditionally, Dal Bukhara is slow-cooked on charcoal ovens in restaurants. But this version is recreated at home and hence involves pressure cooking the lentils in the initial stage, followed by slow-cooking the dish on a stove-top.
I call this version of Dal Bukhara as my ‘labor of love’ towards cooking and food in general. Since the time I had a rendezvous with this simply amazing dish, I’d wanted to recreate it in my home. To begin with, I experimented and made Dal Bukhara twice and felt something was missing. The third time it came close to the original one. The only aspect missing was the charcoal flavor. So, I read more and more on how to bring that touch of uniqueness and got myself accustomed to the technique of smoking, popularly known as dhungar. Details on this are in the notes section after the recipe card. You can also find more about this technique in my recipe of Dal Tadka. I have not slow-cooked the lentils overnight on tandoor, because neither I have wooden or charcoal embers nor do I have a tandoor at home. I don’t even have a slow-cooker that would do a similar job. So, I have pressure cooked the lentils first and then slowly simmered the dal with tomato, cream, butter and ginger-garlic for 1 hour 25 mins, on low heat. This Dal Bukhara recipe is quite rich because of the amount of butter and cream that goes into the preparation. I did try with a lesser amount of butter and cream and it just had that ‘something is missing or just not right’ thing about it. To get the real taste and feel, I would recommend not to reduce the cream or butter. Just make sure to run an extra mile or exercise a bit more to burn all the ‘sin’ that you are going to consume! I have used unsalted white butter and 25% low-fat cream (a.k.a light cream). You can use any good brand of butter and 25% to 35% light cream or whipping cream. I served this Dal Bukhara with jeera rice and some onions by the side. You can also try it with naan, lachha paratha, phulka, tandoori roti or khasta roti, and decide for yourself which combination is the best.
How to make Dal Bukhara
Prep and Cook Lentils
- Soak 1.5 cups whole black gram (urad dal) in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours. Drain them later and add to a 3 or 4-litre stove-top pressure cooker. Add 4.5 to 5 cups water and pressure cook the lentils for 16 to 18 whistles or about 18 to 20 minutes. The photo below is of the soaked and drained lentils. Note that you can choose to cook the lentils in an Instant Pot instead of a stove-top pressure cooker. For cooking in Instant Pot, add 4.5 cups of water or as needed and pressure cook lentils on high for 25 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release and after 18 to 20 minutes open the lid. Lift the pressure valve first to release any steam or pressure and then only open the lid.
- As the lentils are getting cooked, make a smoooth and fine puree of 250 grams tomatoes (3 medium to large tomatoes) in a blender. Crush 1 inch ginger and 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves to a paste (2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste) in a mortar-pestle.
- When the pressure settles down naturally in the cooker, then only open the lid of the pressure cooker. The lentils should be cooked well and softened.
- Now add the prepared ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, 6 to 7 tablespoons white butter, 7 to 8 tablespoons low fat cream or light cream, 1 to 1.5 cups water and salt. If using heavy cream or whipping cream add 3 to 4 tablespoons of it.
Make Dal Bukhara
- Mix very well and keep the pressure cooker on low heat on the stovetop, without its lid. For the Instant pot, after the lentils have cooked, use the sauté function and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or more until you get the desired consistency. Stir often.
- Let the dal simmer for about 1 hour or more. Meanwhile keep on stirring often, so that the lentils don’t stick at the bottom of the cooker. 7. Towards the end, check the taste and add more red chili powder or salt if required. Lastly, sprinkle ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and stir well. The consistency of dal bukhara is not runny or watery. So if your dal bukhara looks runny, then continue to cook further. 8. While serving Dal Bukhara, dot with 1 tablespoon butter or cream. Serve hot with Jeera Rice and onion salad.
My Journey with Dal Bukhara
I first came across this simple, but celebrated lentil dish in Femina magazine many years ago. The recipe section featured some chef’s chosen ones from ITC Maurya, in which the Dal Bukhara recipe was also shared. When I read the Dal Bukhara recipe first time, I was surprised that it bore close resemblance to butter chicken or paneer makhani. Also, dal makhani was not in my repertoire then. Today, I can say that the sauce made for Dal Bukhara and dal makhani is similar to butter chicken. What I felt and thought many years back is confirmed in an excellent informative piece here by Vir Sanghvi. I had started collecting recipe cut-outs and keeping them safe in my dairy. But with we shifting our home a few times and along with usual changes in life, Dal Bukhara became a forgotten recipe. When I started food blogging, I went back to my diary for the recipe and could just find a few pages left of the many that I had kept. Out of the pages that were misplaced amidst the hustle-bustle, one of them had the authentic Dal Bukhara recipe of the ITC Maurya fame. This really hurt me back then. But due to my innate nature of not giving up and a true fondness for food, I was able to recollect the ingredients that were used in the original recipe. Just to be sure, I also bought a ready-to-eat Dal Bukhara pack to cross-check the list. It helped me confirm about the ingredients, and then I never looked back. It did take me a few trials and a lot of patience until I developed a Dal Bukhara recipe that I could be proud of.
Expert Tips
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas) Dal Fry Recipe Moong Dal Recipe (Fry & Tadka Versions) Panchmel Dal | Rajasthani Panchratna Dal This Dal Bukhara post from the blog archives first published in April 2014 has been republished and updated on 24 April 2022.
