Dal Makhani

A dish that appears most promising when it comes to finding a vegetarian alternative for the tantalising Butter Chicken is the equally sumptuous Dal Makhani. Interestingly, the dishes not only have a similar flavour palette, but are believed to have originated at the same place and under similar circumstances.

The Dal Makhani is a hardcore Punjabi delight, reminiscent in the oozing butter of its delectable curry and the unforgettable taste of its exquisite aromatic spices. The dish is a relatively modern variation of the other lentil-based curries already popular in colonial Peshawar. Dal Makhani is made from urad dal (black beans) and other pulses cooked in a spicy tangy curry, laden with butter and cream. In fact, the dish gets its name of 'makhani' from the Hindi word for butter, makhhan. Today, Dal Makhani is widely consumed across the Indian subcontinent and is slowly becoming an exotic indulgence to global food lovers and critics.

The creator of this iconic vegetarian curry is the legendary duo Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral, most famously credited with the inception of the iconic Butter Chicken. As the story goes, the duo, having migrated to Delhi post partition and discovered the Butter Chicken, were looking for a suitable complement and vegetarian alternative for it. One day, a diner, who frequented the Moti Mahal in Delhi’s Daryaganj, suggested that the earthy pungent taste of the urad dal held a mighty potential to create something truly magnanimous. The duo was quick to incorporate the suggestion and the experimental curry was a run-away hit.

Another variation of the story suggests that it was Gujral who conceived the recipe. Despite repeated attempts at creating a dish more akin to the Butter Chicken, the lentil curry turned out to be no different from the existing urad preparations. It was then that Gujral had the path-breaking idea of adding cream and tomato to the curry to take the tangy flavour a notch higher. The result was the revered Dal Makhani and soon, Butter Chicken found a worthy vegetarian counterpart.

This Punjabi dish, born in the era of a cultural paradigm shift, has with time revolutionised the vegetarian palette of North India and created an ardent fan club of reputed food connoisseurs for itself. In fact, such is the exquisite taste of the original recipe, that no major variation of the Dal Makhani has been found in the nation. India truly prefers it the authentic way.