Umami: Black Truffle Dal Makhani
Make it the LXV way
Spice blend
Umami Spice Blend
Wine pairing
2023 Reserve Cabernet Franc
100% Cabernet Franc from Portico Hills Vineyard, Santa Barbara County. 250 cases. At 1.2 acres, one of the smallest blocks in the portfolio — own-rooted on a steep, nearly 25% grade, yielding a Franc…
Wine pairing
2023 Reserve Syrah
100% Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. 166 cases. Awarded 99 points by Jeb Dunnuck. Cool-climate Syrah of rare depth — classic pepper, black fruit, and an umami richness that only the world's greatest…
Dal makhani is already the most decadent thing in a Punjabi kitchen; the Umami blend's black truffle salt, cumin and black garlic takes it somewhere else entirely. The long, low simmer is not optional — the black lentils need hours to break down into something that reads as cream before any cream is added. Savory depth and a fine-grained texture make this a red-wine dal: Reserve Cab Franc for its herbal edge, Reserve Syrah for its weight.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole black urad dal (sabut urad)
- 1/4 cup red kidney beans
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, plus 1 tbsp more for later
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, plus 1 tbsp to finish
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1 tbsp LXV Umami Spice Blend
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 3 ripe tomatoes, grated (skins discarded)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a swirl to serve
- 1 tbsp kasuri methi, crushed
- Cracked black pepper and a few shavings of fresh truffle, if you have it
Method
- Soak the urad dal and kidney beans together overnight in plenty of cold water.
- Drain, cover with 8 cups fresh water, add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and 1 tsp salt, and simmer very gently 2 1/2-3 hours, topping up with hot water as needed. The lentils should be completely collapsed and the liquid thick and inky.
- Mash roughly a third of the dal against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Keep it over the lowest possible heat.
- In a separate pan, melt 3 tbsp of the butter over medium heat and cook the onion 8 minutes until soft and golden.
- Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste, the LXV Umami Spice Blend and the Kashmiri chili. Toast 45 seconds — the truffle in the blend will bloom immediately.
- Add the grated tomato and cook 12 minutes until thick and the butter separates.
- Stir the masala into the dal. Simmer uncovered on the lowest heat 45-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so nothing catches. It should go from soupy to spoon-coating.
- Stir in the cream, the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the kasuri methi. Simmer 10 minutes more and season with salt.
- Finish with the last knob of butter, a swirl of cream, cracked pepper and — if the occasion warrants — shaved truffle.
More like this
https://www.lxvwine.com/recipes/umami-black-truffle-dal-makhani/ · LXV Wine, Paso Robles