After doing some research last night, I am still unclear as to exactly what type of bean this recipe requires. I believe that dal makhani is supposed to use whole ‘urad’ beans, which I think are also called ‘black lentils’ sometimes. Apparently, there are also actual black lentils, which are not urad beans.

At any rate, I can’t find either type of bean in my area, but I did have a few cups of mung beans on hand. To me, the mung beans look like green version of urad beans, so I used them as a substitute in this recipe for dinner last night. The result was amazing! I’ll still keep looking for urad and/or black lentils when I’m traveling, but I’ll happily make this with mung beans (or maybe adzuki beans) again.

I also bought a pressure cooker for making this dish. Man, I should have done that years ago. I’ve never had luck in the past with dried beans, but the pressure cooker made them quickly and perfectly tender. To those who have asked about the necessity for a pressure cooker, I would say: If you can spare $20 for an entry-level pressure cooker - do it. I got the cheapest one I could find at the local mall, and it worked beautifully. I might need to upgrade to an 8 qt. in the future (this is a 6 qt. model), but I wasn’t ready to spend $100 on the larger in-stock model right now.

Lastly, for anyone who hasn’t worked with it before, consider using ghee instead of ‘normal’ butter. This dish has so little butter, that it’s worth a few extra cents to splurge on the heavenly, nutty flavor of ghee. You’ll notice - and appreciate - the difference.

Thanks, again, for the great recipe.

P.S. Elizabeth (post 58), I had to add water after cooking the beans because mine were too dry. Just stirring in and heating enough water (and a little more skim milk) to bring the level back up to the top of the beans made a delicious gravy, just like the photo on this page. I think the stirring, alone, mashes enough beans to make the gravy.