Slow Cooker Dal Makhani

When we were in India, Jamie and I fell in love with dal makhani. It's a black lentil dish that's rich and creamy and perfect when sopped up with fresh garlic naan. When I got the new slow cooker, I did some googling and found a recipe for dal makhani using a slow cooker. It's a time commitment, but not labor intensive. You just need to start the night before you want to eat, and you need to have a lot of spices. The ingredient list pretty intimidating. (If you don't have all this stuff and live in New York, go to Kalustyan's - they have EVERYTHING. You can also order online.) I served this with some vegetable jalfrezi and chicken tikka with raita, mint-cilantro chutney, and naan. I can't wait for dinner tonight to eat the leftovers.

Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 cup urad saboot (whole, unskinned black lentils)
1/2 cup red kidney beans
2 tbsp chana dal
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), if you don't have any, you can just use butter and skim off the milk solids form the top
1 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
4 cups water
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp amchor powder (raw mango powder)
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp black salt
1 tsp coriander
2-3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp onion powder
cayenne pepper to taste
Grind to a paste:
2 dry whole Kashmiri red chilis, de-seeded, soaked for 10 minutes in water, and drain
1 clove garlic
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
To add later:
3/4 cup half and half
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Wash the lentils, kidney beans, and chana dal and add to the slow cooker with 4 cups of water, salt, ghee, and ginger-garlic-chili paste. Cook overnight on low.

The next morning, mash the lentils a little and add the crushed tomatoes, the kasoori methi, red chili powder, cumin, nutmeg, amchor, coriander, black salt, onion powder, and 2-3 tbsp butter.

Cook on low for another 4-6 hours. (The house will smell great.)

Right before serving, add the half and half and season to taste with salt and cayenne. Top with the extra 2 tbsp butter and fresh cilantro.