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Whole black urad dal and red kidney beans cooked low and slow with butter and cream until thick and smoky, the vegetarian partner to butter chicken.
Dal makhani is credited to the same Moti Mahal cooks in Daryaganj who made butter chicken famous. Kundan Lal Jaggi and Kundan Lal Gujral, refugees from Peshawar, wanted a vegetarian dish to sit beside their chicken, and a regular diner suggested building one from urad dal. At Bukhara in ITC Maurya, opened in 1978, the house version is simmered for close to 24 hours.
4 editor picks for Dal makhani in Delhi, ranked by editorial score. All Delhi signature dishes · Dal makhani across every city.
Bukhara has served the same North-West Frontier menu at ITC Maurya in Delhi since 1978: tandoor kebabs, table-wide naan and a black dal simmered for 24 hours.
OrderDal Bukhara, the black dal simmered close to 24 hours, with a tandoori kebab and naan.
TipEating with your hands is part of the ritual, and the naan arrives as wide as the table; book ahead for dinner.
Gulati is one of the Punjabi dining rooms of Pandara Road Market in Delhi, open until midnight for butter chicken, murgh malai tikka and handi gosht.
OrderButter chicken and murgh malai tikka, with dal makhani and garlic naan.
TipThe kitchen runs until midnight, so it suits a late dinner after India Gate; expect a wait at peak weekend hours.
Rajinder Da Dhaba began as a fish fry stall in 1968 and now fronts Safdarjung Enclave Market in Delhi, serving butter chicken and dal makhani from 15:00.
OrderButter chicken with dal makhani and tandoori roti.
TipIt opens at 15:00, not for lunch; there is outdoor seating along the market front, and portions are generous.
Kake Di Hatti has baked stuffed tandoori naans and dal makhani on Church Mission Road in Old Delhi since 1942, a vegetarian kitchen open until 01:00.
OrderA stuffed paneer naan shared with a bowl of dal makhani.
TipOver 100 naan varieties are listed, in sizes from Nikka and Baby up to the house Kake size; the family dining room is upstairs.
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