Dal Bukhara Recipe
Dal Bukhara, a rich, flavorful lentil preparation made famous by the ITC Maurya Hotel in New Delhi can be rightly called as the close cousin of Dal Makhani. The major difference is unlike dal makhani, Dal Bukhara is made only with whole black gram (urad dal) sans kidney beans (rajma). The robustness in a Dal Bukhara recipe is brought by slow-cooking it overnight on a tandoor and the addition of few other ingredients, but originally the recipe consists minimal ingredients. This is what brings out the best in it.
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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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 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
- While cooking the dal on simmer, the lentils become viscous and start to stick at the bottom of the cooker if not stirred. The lentils would become creamy and the consistency of the dal will keep on thickening. You can add some hot water to avoid the dal from getting too thick. Also, sake sure to keep mashing some of the lentils while stirring.
- Use lentils that are within their shelf life and fresh. Do not use aged lentils as they take a lot of time to cook and do not taste good.
- The consistency of Dal Bukhara is similar to dal makhani.
- You can garnish Dal Bukhara with ginger juliennes and also serve with Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha or roti.
FAQs
Is it necessary to add cream in this dal?
Dal Bukhara is a rich, creamy dal. Not adding the cream would result in some flavor loss. So, it is best to add the cream.
What is the substitute for fresh cream in this recipe?
You can use whipping cream instead of fresh cream in this recipe. But make sure to add the whipping cream in lesser quantity, about 3 to 4 tablespoons as it is higher in fat content.
What is the best way to cook the dal? On low or high heat?
You should cook this dal on low heat as this recipe calls for cooking of the dal slowly.
How to make restaurant style Dal Bukhara?
This recipe will give you a Dal Bukhara that is very close to the restaurant style one. Also, in order to bring in an exact richness as the restaurant one, make sure you don’t omit adding the cream and butter.
Can I use salted butter instead of white butter?
Yes, you can.
Why is this dish called Dal Bukhara?
This dish is called Dal Bukhara after Chef Madan Jaiswal of the world-famous Bukhara restaurant at ITC Maurya, New Delhi created it for its diners.
What is the difference between Dal Bukhara and dal makhani?
The major difference is that the main ingredient in Dal Bukhara is whole black gram or urad dal and it does not have kidney beans or rajma in it. On the other hand, dal makhani has both these as the main ingredients of the dish. Dal makhani is also less rich as compared to Dal Bukhara.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole black gram or whole urad dal (black matpe, urad bean)
- 250 grams tomatoes or 3 medium to large tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger + 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves- crushed finely in a mortar-pestle
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch – if using a hotter variety then use ½ teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 90 to 100 grams white butter or regular butter – about 6 to 7 tablespoons white butter
- 7 to 8 tablespoon light cream or 25% to 30% fat or 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 4.5 to 5 cups water for pressure cooking the lentils
- 1 to 1.5 cup water – to be added later
- 1 inch ginger – julienned for garnish, optional
- 1 tablespoon butter or cream for garnishing, optional
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak the lentils in enough water overnight or for 7 to 8 hours.
- Drain them later and rinse a couple of times. Transfer the lentils to a 3 or 4 litre 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 on medium heat.
- When the lentils are getting cooked, make a fine, smooth puree of the tomatoes in a blender and crush the ginger and garlic to a paste in mortar-pestle.
Making dal bukhara
- When the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid of the pressure cooker.
- Then add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, Kashmiri red chili powder, butter, cream and salt. Also add 1 to 1.5 cups of water.
- Stir very well and keep the pressure cooker on low heat, without its lid on. Let the dal simmer for about 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Keep stirring often, so that the lentils don't stick at the bottom of the cooker. Also mash some of the lentils while stirring.
- If the dal becomes thick, then add some hot water. Once done, check the taste and add more red chili powder or salt if required.
- Lastly sprinkle garam masala powder and stir well.
- While serving Dal Bukhara, dot with butter or cream. Garnish with ginger juliennes (optional).
- Serve hot with jeera rice or with Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha or roti.
Notes
How to bring charcoal flavor in Dal Bukhara
- Secure firmly a small piece of coal between tongs.
- Heat it in the flame till it becomes red hot.
- Now place the red hot coal in a small steel bowl. Place this bowl on top of the cooked Dal Bukhara in the cooker.
- Pour a few teaspoons of ghee (oil or butter) on the coal and quickly cover the lid of the cooker tightly.
- Keep for a few minutes and then open the lid. If you want a pronounced charcoal flavor in the Dal Bukhara, then you have to keep for a few minutes more.
Instant Pot Dal Bukhara
- Transfer the rinsed and soaked lentils to a steel insert of an 8 quart Instant pot. Add 4.5 cups water or as needed. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
- After the pressure cooking is complete allow for natural pressure release. So wait for 18 to 20 minutes. Later lift the pressure valve to check if there is any pressure or steam. Open the lid.
- Add in the tomato puree, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, cream, butter, salt and water as needed.
- Mix thoroughly. Press the sauté function and simmer lentils for about 12 to 15 minutes or more until you get the desired consistency which is nether thick or thin. Stir often so as to ensure that the lentils do not get stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Lastly add the garam masala powder and mix well. While serving garnish with some cream or dot with butter.
Nutrition
This Dal Bukhara post from the blog archives first published in April 2014 has been republished and updated on 24 April 2022.
Whole family and friends were blown away by the flavor and texture. We recognised it from holidaying in Goa. Now a regular addition to our family meals. Great to surprise Veggie visitors with outstanding traditional dishes, everyone wants the recipe.
Ps . We live in West Cape, ZA.
Thank you so much. I’m truly glad the recipe brought back wonderful memories and is now part of your family meals. Greetings to you all in West Cape!
Hi I just love Dahl . The best ever dish was when we lived in Hong Kong in the 80’s&90’s we used to go to the Bukhara Restaurant in the Sheraton Hotel it was such a lovely amazing restaurant and the decor was fabulous. The Dahl was the best. I have never tasted such lovely Dahl so decided to google Bukhara Dahl. When my son and his wife visited Hong Kong in 2015 the Bukhara restaurant was no longer there.
Hii…your recipe is great .. just want to know from where u can get coal
in any indian town or cities, you will get shops that sell coal in wholesale rate. so you will have to find out in your city. you can also check if you can get coal on amazon or online.
Helpful
I have not tried this recipe yet but your dal Makhani recipe is my favourite. I have made it many times and always get many compliments so I am looking forward to trying this slightly different dish. Thank you for the down to earth detailed instructions that you give.
thank you debi. glad to read your feedback on dal makhani. dal bukhara also tastes very good and i am sure you will like it. happy cooking.
hi..thanks for this great recipe . This recipe Dal Bukhara is tge creation of the great padma shri Masterchef Imtiyaz Qureshi of India.. love this recipe.
welcome and thanks for sharing this information. good to know. indeed the recipe is a lovely creation.
Hello Dassana,
Yesterday, i tried your dal bukhara and paneer makhanwala recipe for my husband’s birthday dinner. Even though I doubled the quantity mentioned in the recipe, it came out very well. Everyone loved it and I got many compliments. All thanks to you 🙂
Kind Regards,
Jayanti
Welcome Jayanti. Glad to know that everyone liked the recipes. Hope you all had a great time. Thanks for your positive feedback.
Dassana ji you are simply amazing.. I tried many of your recipes. Today i made Dal Bhukhara. It is really very delicious. Without you it cannot be happen.Thanks so much for sharing lots of recipes for us.
Welcome Isha. Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback on recipes.
Hi,
I am a big fan of your recipes. Your dal bukhara version is my version of Dal makhni. I read it many years ago in a Sanjeev Kapoor cook book and since then I am making it this way only. The only difference is as its dal makhni I add finely chopped onion, garlic and ginger while cooking the dal and once its done I add 1cup whole milk and after few minutes pureed tomatoes. It always comes out amazing. Its a hit in my circle. I’ll surely try this recipe too.
thanks nisha for the feedback and also for sharing your dal makhani recipe. i will give a try as i never add milk. i am sure it will be good. do try this dal bukhara recipe also. its a favorite at my place and you will like it.
Hi,
Today I will be making dal bukhara. is it necessary to put fresh cream. What is the use and what if I want to skip it.
Swati, don’t skip cream otherwise there will be some flavor loss. Its a rich creamy dal.
Hi Dassana,
Can I use whipping cream instead of fresh cream? Or any other substitute you can advise. We don’t get Malai/Fresh cream in US.
Thanks
you can use whipping cream. for any curry or gravy recipe that requires cream, you can also use whipping cream. but add less as whipping cream has a higher fat content. in this dal bukhara recipe you can add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of whipping cream.
How do i get the recipe for dal bukhara?
jenny, you are on the right link. probably you need to scroll down to see the recipe card.
Hi Dassana,
No kasturi methi in dal bukhara?
there is no need to add kasuri methi in dal bukhara. slow cooking gives so much of flavor to the dal that more spices or herbs are not required. but if you want you can add kasuri methi also.
I 1st heard this recipe on TLC’s show of Gordon Ramsay that time I know about Dal Bukhara your recipe looks same thanks alot for recipe.My also kept recipe’s pages and magazine and those are date back of 1990s whenever i got time I search them for recipe. I learn many recipe from those too.
thanks harqulis. nice to know that you also have a collection of recipes from magazines and pages. i agree one learns from these recipes too.
Hey awesme recipe…i tried it nd oh my my my. It ws so delicious in taste… cn i use kidney beans with whole lentils… in dis dal bukhara recipe…
thanks divya. you can use kidney beans.
Ur n awesome cook I just love ur recipes, I tried many n all r turned out well
Thanks
pleased to know this thankyou so much dr shweta 🙂
We have to cook d dal on high flame or medium flame?
you have to cook dal on low heat neha it’s dal bukhara which is cooked slowly on low heat. hope this help’s you.
All receipes are easy to try at home.Thanks Mr.Amitji Dasana.
glad to know this uday thankyou so much 🙂
Excellent
In Dal Bhukhara recipe what dal u used mam.
u said black whole gram (urad dal) but in photo it looks with green and brown color dal
it is whole urad dal. its not green and brown colored dal. these are organic urad dal.
HI
I have tandoor oven but how can i cook the dal over night on the tandoor oven?
yassin, i have never tried tandoor oven so can’t say.
It went beyond my expectation. Unluckily I didn’t learn much cooking before getting married. Now after marriage every day is an adventure for me to find, learn and try new items with the easily available materials in Germany. Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband loved the end product. I am a regular follower of your recipes now and sharing the site with others as well.
thanks for the positive review sudarshini. glad to know the recipe turned out good. also thanks for referring the website with others.
Your recipes are awesome..And this one turned out to be superb…Thanks a lot for helping beginners like me :):)
thanks remya.
Wooow…..its a very useful site for us.here’stop most recipes are available with right method of cooking…I also a hotel management student….I trust this
thanks saurav
Hi
I recently came across your website and wow it was jack pot… I tried a few recipes… kadai mushroom, basic Eggless chocolate cake and a few more… They have turned out really good… All thanx to even the minute details that u take care of… The substitutes that u mention, step by step pictorial methods… Everything is just perfect… Thanx a ton… And today I am going to make dal bikhara… Thanx again
welcome deepti. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Very original and simple recipe. Years ago I happened to eat at a roadside Dhaba on Pathankot – Gurdaspur Highway in Punjab. The taste blew away my mind. I returned to their open kitchen early morning & noticed the chefs put the already overnight soaked lentils into hot boiling water for about 2-3 mins then taking out , letting it cool and then finally again putting up on tandoor for slow-simmer. Although the chefs never gave away the secret of Blanching, I’m sure it is done to give unique reddish coloring to the final dish.
Black Lentils are amongst top gaseous foods in the world, hence adding a Tadka of Heeng + Garlic before serving is general practice in north Indian home kitchens.
Thanks Amit for the wonderful recipe.
welcome unnam. thanks for sharing your tip and your experience with the dhaba. glad to know this.
Hi Dassana,
The recipe looks awesome n I want to try it. Just a quick Question. I have a slow cooker but do you think I should put just soaked dal in it or pressure cook it before putting it in the slow cooker. If I just soak it n put it I rekon it will take atleast 8 hours for the dal to reach the pressure cook stage.
What do you think?
thanks payal. the time you are mentioning is correct. it might take even more. if you want to speed up the process then pressure cook the soaked dal first and then add in slow cooker.
Just put the daal in my crockpot. Can’t wait to taste it! I was missing nutmeg and whole black cardamom but I add a pinch of chai masala I had on hand (which already had nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon).
thats a trio of spices. it will be good 🙂
Hi Dassana,
What a great web site (and a great recipe)! I’m an Irish-American fellow from Boston, Massachusetts, but Indian food – especially dal (and pakoras) – has a lot of fond childhood associations for me… My parents were academics and we spent several years in Delhi when I was young (we also travelled frequently to Bangladesh, Nepal, etc, but were always based out of Delhi; this was a while ago, back when you could still go up the Qutb Minar, in the 1970’s and 80’s).
At any rate, I wanted to provide a mini review, since I had the opportunity to dine at Bukhara last year with my father and a few colleagues -and I’ve been searching for their dal recipe ever since, which is how I found your site.
First off, it’s almost impossible to get in. Reservations are made months ahead. There is, according to ITC General Manager Atul Kumar, one day a week that is “open seating, ” though Atul told me that lines can be insane, reaching out past the pool area to the street beyond. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact day (Thursday sticks out for some reason).
I was accompanying my father at an Asian Development Bank conference (he’s somewhat elderly). I met Mr. Kumar when he came to the for a Tiger Woods/Tendulkar event. We became friends and he was able to get our party in to Bukhara the night before we were due to leave Delhi (almost no one recognized Tiger, on his first “golf tour” in India, and went insane over Tendulkar).
The service was impeccable and the food sublime. The dal, in particular, was incredibly delicious! A chef I spoke to said that they smoke it for up to 48 hours… It was rich and very tasty. Other standouts include the garlic naan (also amazing) and “the Bill Clinton,” which I think is officially called “The Presidential Platter” and is essentially a smorgasbord of meats (lots of lamb). Apparently it’s what Clinton ordered when he was there (he does like a good BBQ).
Lastly, many thanks for your “smoking” tip. That was a new technique to me and a flavor I thought I wouldn’t be able to replicate at home (without a tandoori oven, of course).
Best, Christopher.
Ps. A final question: when making this without a slow cooker, in a pot, how long would you estimate cooking the lentils/dal?
thanks chris for taking the time to share your experience and write up a detailed review on ITC. it was good to read your write up. i did not reservations are made months ahead. i have heard about their garlic naan too. the smoking tip makes the dal smoky. i have not yet tried with dal bukhara. but with dal makhani i tried a couple of times and it tastes exactly like the restaurant ones. if you can get some natural charcoal, then you can create the same flavors at home too. and this technique can be used for any dish.
i have never worked with a slow cooker. so i have no clue how much time it will take. you will have to try and check how long the beans will take to cook. but do try the slow cooking method. this is what makes a dal bukhara tastes so creamy and oh so delicious.
Hi,
Why do we need to cook for 1hr in low flame?
divya, actually one hour is very less. originally the recipe is simmered overnight. thats how it is made authentically. most slow cooked it is better it taste.
Tried the dal bukhara along with your aloo kulcha recipe over the weekend and my oh my, I never thought I could make dal makhni taste so authentic. Right from measurements, to explaining minute details about recipes, your blog is the absolute best, one that I trust blindly!
welcome aparna. glad to know this. lovely combination of kulcha with dal bukhara. do try some more recipes.
Can I use salted amul butter instead of white butter.
kanika, yes you can use salted amul butter.
I tried dal Bukhara recipe really good and Delicious……
thanks teg for giving positive feedback.
Dear Dassana, A Swede in India since a year and how I love your recipe. Tried three other ways of cooking the dahls, but nothing comes close. Even my Indian friends like it! That one and a half hour of stirring it is what I consider love. Would you by any means share the newspaper and the year for the original recipe?
thanks maude. slow cooking at its best 🙂 its from femina india magazine. i just had a few torn papers from the magazine. but i do not remember the date. unfortunately i lost out on the recipe, but fortunately i remembered the ingredients 🙂
Hi,
I just found your website, and I absolutely love it. I am a virgin to Indian cooking but it looks like there are things here that I could try and not mess up too much. I do want to know how long I should cook this dish if I don’t have a pressure cooker? I know it will take a while, but I would love to know a little more precisely.
thank you.
thanks svetlana. it will take about 2 to 3 hours. also depends on the temperature conditions and the quality of dal. use the lentils which are fresh and not near the expiry date.
HI,
I have been working as a chef with the owner who used to be a bukhara chef in delhi..
when i joined his own restaurent the black dhal was different and new chefs are changing the black dhal and the restaurent had trouble with black dhal..
then i saw yr page on the internet and was interesting and i was happy to follow it..
i did follw yr recipe but the i did put some coriander powder and little bit cumin powder so that i can get dark brown colour..if not then colour would be red..
then i asked my owner to taste it, was really happy..
saying U made today dal bukhara…
Thank you for yr best recipe…
welcome bimal. its really a very positive feedback and adds authenticity stamp on this dal bukhara recipe. your feedback is going to motivate many readers to try making this recipe at home. thanks for sharing your variation and your story. it matters a lot to us as well as to the readers.
Came across your website when looking for recipes for Gulab Jamun with Khoya, got enamored with all the different recipes, that last I cooked dinner for our friends from Delhi using all your recipes for Dal Bukhara, Jeera Rice, tawa paneer, Dahi Bhindi, and bharwan Karela. Every single dish was amazing and our guests took all our leftovers home. Hubby and I had only about 1/2 a cup of tawa paneer and some dahi bhindi left for lunch today. What is most impressive about your recipes and my experience with them is that, I myself have never personally eaten any of the dishes I prepared before and yet found that my guests were blown away by every single dish. My non-indian guests could not get enough of the dal and would like a repeat of it soon.
firstly thanks dee for this comment. i am myself amazed at how you pulled of all this recipes in one day and that too perfectly. when the guests take the leftovers, then the food must have been really good. i can so relate with this 🙂 glad to know about your experience. the bukhara dal is amazingly good. in fact its one of the favorite dal at home. if you have a slow cooker, you can make the dal in it too. slow cooking gives the dal a perfect taste and texture.
Hi Dassana,
If I were to cook it normally on a stove instead of a pressure cooker how much water should I add in total?
Thanks
Shaila
welcome shaila. start with 6 cups of water for cooking and you can then keep on adding water as required. but it will take a lot of time to cook in a pot. but this effort will be worth the time as you will get a good taste.
These recipies were very helpful.thanks a lot .
welcome sunita
Hello! I tried your recipe and it turned out to be delicious. Thank you so much.
welcome prakriti
Hi,
I cooked it yesterday and it turned out to be amazing.I tweaked it a bit and used my crockpot (slow cooker with stone untensil) to cook it overnight on slow heat and trust me it was as good as it can get.Thanks for the recipe
Regards
John
welcome john. the slow cooked version is actually the authentic version. so you got the correct taste of dal bukhara and made excellent use of slow cooker.
Hi,
Thanks very much for the recipe. Just about to try it. I’ve been trying replicate the bukhara restaurant flavour for a while now (with limited success) and am quite surprised to see that your recipe is quite simple compared to some of the others I’ve tried.
Would you recommend slow-cooking the dal in an oven while covered with foil for a few hours to allow the ingredients to mix better?
welcome nikhi. in fact even i saw some recipes on the web and they used a lot of ingredients. but from what i remember in the magazine, dal bukhara has not many ingredients. you can slow cook the dal in the oven. in fact its the slow cooking that gives dal bukhara as well as dal makhani its unique taste.
Hi,
I am a big fan of your website.
And till date whatever i have tried came out very well..! All my friends and relatives appreciates my cooking now! All thanks to your website..
My husband and his friends are hardcore non vegetarian and its vice versa with all the females! They never appreciate any veg food and Chicken is like GOD to them 😛
But i must tell you.. The other day I tried DAL BUKHARA with charcoal flavour and it was truly awesome..
Thank you so much for your recipes Dassana 🙂
welcome kaavya. thats really good to know. big thanks for this motivating feedback.
Hi,
I hv tried many of ur recipes. All of them came out very yummy. Just wanted to ask in dis u hv used raw tomato or boiled one for puree??
raw tomatoes to make the puree. and thanks.
Hi ,
I have seen the preparation of dal bukhara in some video.
I think the taste is contributed by the utensil they use for it (made of very heavy metal with thick base) and the sim flames of tandoor overnight.
It makes lentils very creamy with unique flavor.
Otherwise it is similar to any simple dal makhani.
And i am very happy with the efforts of you.
if some one cooks something on a very low temperature for a very long time as bajra khichri in rajasthan it becomes very creamy.
usually, they make in clay pots and this gives unique flavor & taste. the low simmering flames of the tandoor overnight also contributes to the smoky flavor. i agree and from my own experience, slow cooking for a few hours or many hours make the lentils creamy. thanks for the feedback and views.
Hi Dassana, i have tried most of your recipes and all of them came out very nice and tasty. My question for this recipe is can i use mong dal instead of black lentil as i dont have it.
Thanks & Keep up the good work.
moong beans will give a different taste and texture. and for moong beans the proportion of tomatoes will change too. so i would not suggest with moong beans, reason being the dal would become bland and you would need to spice it up more with a few spices and herbs.
in pic. dal looks like moog dal not urad ……..
these are organic urad dal. moong is much greener than these 🙂
Hi, can I add rajma to dal bhukhara…?
pooja, just soak the rajma with the dal overnight and then cook both of them together. you can add about 1/4 cup of rajma. many people add rajma dal makhani also and many don’t. its a personal choice. but in dal bukhara, rajma is not added.
Shall i use split urad dal as i did not get whole black gram here.
no priya. the taste with spilt urad dal does not come close to the authentic dal bukhara or dal makhani.
Hi,
I am a foodie and have been trying lay my hands on Dal Bukhara recipe since I have had this Dal for quiet some time. I prepared Dal bukhara strictly as advised above and trust me I was not disappointed. It just came out very close to what I had in Bukhara. Keep it up. Thanks again !!
welcome ashish. that means a lot to me because its coming from someone who has had the dal bukhara many times before. thanks for sharing your positive feedback. i wish, i have infused the dal bukhara with charcoal smoke.
Hi, I tried this recipe and it turned out yummy.Thank you for sharing with all the details.
welcome yasmin
Sounds good! I regularly prepare lentil recipes in my pure clay pot and they are always soft and in shape. The reason being, your beans & lentils cook with far-infrared heat emitting from the walls of the pot, let seasoning & spices penetrate deeper without damaging the surface. It’s never mushy or grainy. Most importantly it holds all the nutrients in the food and no fear of metal or chemicals leaching into the food. I got mine from mecware.US (online)
i agree.
I never tried dal makhani .When we had it outside i felt a little bitter or somewhat very different compared to other gravies .How is the taste of bukhara exactly like makhani?Adding of urad dal gives that taste i guess right ?
Hi Dassana
I tried this recipe of dal bukhara it turned out delicious .
Please update on neer dosa.
Thank you.
Neelam.
welcome neelam and thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your positive feedback. i will put the dosa recipe soon.
hi
i love the way u put all the details
thanks mohit
Hello Dassana – Great variant of Dal Makhani Recipe. I am going to try this dal bukhara recipe this week. Thanks for sharing.
welcome jayashree.
you know what I loved most?!! The picture and the color combination of it. At least for the lovely picture I would give a try of the recipe.. I have already made up my mind to try it out and I can’t wait to buy so I am gonna book the ingredients on now itself.
Thanks for the pics and recipe!