What is The History Of Dal Makhani Recipe?

Posted by aniket vichare on March 16th, 2020

The dal makhani recipe has a rich legacy of its own, when it comes to using the cooking skills and techniques for pulses in India. This dish was invented by Kundan Lal Gujral, who is the founder of the Moti Mahal chain, one of the finest eateries in India. In the making of the dal makhani recipe, where the simple pulses were given a new form and taste by inducing tandoor-cooked items and dals in slow-cooked simmering modes. This type of cooking was also done to keep the dal safe when there was no use of refrigerator in India. this man would just simmer the tikkas, dals in a gravy of mashed tomato, and this gave rise to the famous butter-dal recipe that has immense nutrient value for the human body. For the kind of invention that Kundan Lal Gujral made, the dal makhani recipe was also debated to be known as the Moti Mahal Dal.

The dal makhani recipe and its rich legacy:

India has always been noted for its spicy and colourful delicacies and the dal makhani recipe is not an exception. It is generally made with black or urad dal, and for the invention of this particular dish, special mention should be made to the non-vegetarian dish butter chicken. Dal makhani has proper protein nutrients when it comes to serve the best gastronomic delights in terms of affecting the human body. The history of dal makhani recipe can very well be accredited to the skilled culinary skills of Kundan Lal Gujral who established the Moti Mahal and its chain of eateries. Dollops of butter, tomato, assorted spices, cream, yogurt and many other items inside the makhani is a history that talks of great taste. Kundan Lal initially worked in Mukhey da Dhaba run by Mokha Singh in Peshawar around the 1940s, even before independence. After a time, Mokha’s health did not permit him to work and consequentially he sold his eatery to Gujral who renamed it as Moti Mahal. In fact, the Moti Mahal items that we find across all chains in India, owe their name to the brainchild of Kundan Lal Gujral. The use of yogurt was not found in history, but surely, the use of tomato gravy to make the cream sour was used earlier.

You can now cook dal makhani recipe at home, and also find it in multiple eateries across the country.

About the author: The author is a food and fashion connoisseur and here she writes about the rich history of dal makhani recipe.