Dal Tajnuma: Our House Black Dal

What It Is

The menu describes Dal Tajnuma simply: slow-cooked black lentils in a rich, creamy tomato-based gravy, simmered to perfection. The key word is slow. Whole black lentils take a long time to break down, and the depth of this kind of dal comes from letting them.

A Cousin of Dal Makhani

Diners from Delhi will recognise the family. Dal makhani — black lentils finished with butter and cream — is usually credited to the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, opened after Partition by cooks from Peshawar. It became a fixture of north Indian restaurant menus and is now ordered across the country.

Dal Tajnuma is in that tradition: dark, creamy and slow, rather than the thin, tempered yellow dals of home cooking. If you want the lighter style, Dal Tadka is on the menu too.

What to Eat It With

Black dal is happiest next to bread. Try it with the Nawabi Naan or a Pudina Laccha Parantha, or with steamed rice. It is also part of the Mughlai Thali, so you can have it alongside a kofta, biryani, raita, bread and dessert on a single plate.

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From the journal: Dum pukht and the art of slow cooking