Michelin Star Indian Chef Reveals How To Make The Perfect Dal | My Greatest Dishes 

His younger brother is a very wise man, couldn’t agree more with his words of wisdom

I’m a French chef and everyday I have to make the food for the staff (approx 30 people) before the service begins. I made this recipe and everyone absolutely loved it despite them not even knowing anything about Indian cuisine, most of the people working here are from the countryside in France. They continue to tell me about it weeks later, thank you chef.

A Michelin star chef recalling spreading newspaper as a dining table on the floor. Reminds me of my childhood too...every mid class Indians dining table it is. That simplicity has brought people to a higher level.. reminding us every time where we were and where we are now.. To cherish what we have in a kind n humble way. Proud of you chef.

Also, almost every desi mom eating at a restaurant would say: “I can make this cheaper and better at home”. God bless every mother’s out there, and the ones who aren’t with us anymore, may they rest in heaven

No fancy hand gestures or high speed chopping, just a down to earth man reminiscing his childhood. I can tell he truly enjoys his Dal makhani.

Just perfect😊from a Scottish Granny, who has a new friend teaching her Indian recipes, it’s a whole new world of spices and flavour

I am Polish and I making Dal the same way and my Indian husband who comes from Amritsar loves it! :-)

Reminds me of my best mate from my youth (an Indian guy) his mum made the best food, they are both dead now, miss them dearly. This bring it back.

I made my own version of dal when I had no money. Kept me alive.

He seems so polished and Kind. England is lucky to have him.

I from Russia 🇷🇺 it best friend of India 🇮🇳 since a long time long live friendship P.S. Sorry for poor English

I love watching Atul. He’s so honest and down to earth. He holds a Michelin star and refers to himself as a cook. Many lesser others call themselves chef. Love him. ❤

This is the most wholesome comments section I've ever visited.

Theres a a Michellin star mum in every South Asian household.

He is so peaceful and calm

There is something very humble and relaxed in his way of cooking. This makes the video even more enjoyable.

This made me so happy. His genuine appreciation and gratitude towards his humble childhood is so refreshing. This attitude is exactly what we are lacking right now in this world.

leaving this here for when I want to make this recipe later: slice like half a thing of ginger (leave skin on) 1 thin green chili (stalk removed, cut in half) add abt 1/2 a cup of red kidney beans to a pot add a couple of cups of black lentils add some water to pot (at least 1 in above lentils) add in ginger & chili and a pinch of salt let it cook for at least 90 minutes in a separate pan, add oil add in about 1t of whole cumin add 1 small chopped onion add in spice: 2t coriander powder, 1t red chili powder, add 1 diced tomato after tomatoes start to disintegrate, begin adding spoonfuls of cooked lentil into pan (don't drain) cook in pan for 30 to 45 mins lower heat & add about 1/2 a stick of butter (cubed), 200 mL of cream, 1t of garam masala, 1t of ground fenugreek leaves

If ever this man reads the comments section to his video, he will die the happiest man on earth, I love how nice and wholesome people are being here, to the food and to him!

Tears rolled down my eyes when Chef Atul spoke about his mom. I miss my mom's cooking - the way she made warm roti, kheer (rice pudding), paranthas, bhindi (okra/lady finger) and so many more. The list is too long to write here)

Peeling ginger is OPTIONAL?! He hasn't even started cooking yet, and already greatly improved my life - thank you!

this man could legitly host a cooking show.

I made this today and it was out of this world!!! My husband lived in Pune and loves Indian food. He tasted it before I served and he came straight to the living room to rave about how amazing it was. Thank you so much chef!

We are so lucky to have Atul here in the U.K , he is an incredible chef . The way he understands spices is unbelievable

Finally a cook who doesn't talk condescendingly and remember his roots. I bet the only one who cooks it better than him is his mum 😀. Love from Pakistan.

Every Indian mother is his sons Michelin star chef in India !!

I love Indian food, all the spices and flavor is just delicious!!!! I would love to have a taste of that Dahl ..... Yummy!

I eat dhal very often and I am an American. It is so cheap and easy to make. I could probably eat it every day, I am so in love with it. I don't add dairy and love it just the same.

Glad to see a Michelin star chef spills as much water as me when pouring from a jug.

Daal looks delicious. However, I find the message that the chef gives about not having much as a child yet it seemed enough for a happy life so touching. Great video for many reasons.

He's not sharing food. This man had a wholesome childhood, he's sharing that! I love it!

I love the culture and food of India. Greetings from a Norwegian so enthralled by the food of Eastern Asia ( particularly India, Thailand and Japan);and Western Asia ( the food of Lebanon, Syria and Iran). Those gastronomies make the French and Italians pale.

I am Australian and dal is one of my all-time favorite dishes! How could it not be when there is an Indian restaurant on almost every street corner? Many thanks for this recipe, I am going to try it this week!

He's such a charming man, I wish he had his own cooking show that I could watch!

Dear Atul Kochar, your stories about the dal of your childhood made me teary-eyed. Thank you for sharing your mom's recipe with us. Now the world is one recipe richer. Love, M.

My wife cooked this for us. It was really good!!! Have to give it 8/10! (This comes from a Mexican native)!

when he said news paper on the floor .....i looked in his eyes and i can say that he is missing those days badly...

The recipe based on what I understood :) INGREDIENTS 2 inches fresh ginger 1 thin green chili 1/2 cup red kidney beans (pre-soaked or canned) 2 cups pre-soaked black lentils Pinch of salt About 1/2 cup cooking oil 1 tsp whole cumin 1 small onion 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp red chili powder 1 tomato 1/2 stick butter 200 mL single cream 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground fenugreek leaves DIRECTIONS 1. Cook the lentils Set a pot at medium high heat. Add the kidney beans and lentils then cover with water until water is an inch above the lentils. Slice the ginger, leaving the skin on. Remove the stalk of the chili, cut the chili in half, and add both it and the ginger into the lentils. Add a pinch of salt. Leave it to simmer with the lid off for at least 90 minutes. 2. Make the masala Dice the tomato and chop the onion. In a separate pan, heat oil until just below the smoking point. Add cumin and let sizzle for just a moment. Add onion and stir. Add coriander powder and chili powder, followed quickly by the tomato. Stir frequently. 3. Combine After the tomatoes start to disintegrate, begin adding spoonfuls of cooked lentil with their liquid into the masala pan. Let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Then lower the heat and add the butter, cream, garam masala, and ground fenugreek leaves. Stir then serve with naan.

I had this at an Indian restaurant in my home town, and it was my favorite dish. Now I can make it myself! Thanks Chef!

As a poor college student I made this dish and HOLY. Making the lentils and beans with ginger is so crazy good, i could it eat it them just like that tbh. The finished recipe is god tier, thanks for sharing!

Indian and Thai.....the best in the world. Words of a Frenchman

I like this chef's personality. Hes down to earth and very honest. Very few chefs I know are like this gentleman. Greetings from the Philippines

I spent a couple weeks last month traveling around the area of Uttar Pradesh and some towns just outside. It's not quite where Atul is from but almost every dinner included Dal. Everything we ate was delicious, and whoever was serving us was always so attentive to making sure we'd eaten as much as we wanted. Impeccable service from the Indian people, in the restaurant and in the home. I have been cooking since I was a kid, but have almost no familiarity with Indian cuisine and have until recently been too intimidated to do anything other than enjoy it in the restaurant. Though now with some context from the country I feel ready to learn the foundational aspects.

He seems like such a nice and professional guy. And he obviously cares a great deal about showing us how to do it properly. Especially compared to many TV chefs, where you don’t even have time to see what they add or anything.

Just made this and it was the best dal I ever had! Used two cups dry lentils, half cup dry kidneys, one onion, 3 romas, lots of ginger, two chilis, 2 tbsp each of cumin seed and ground coriander, salt, 2 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp each time f fenugreek and garam masala and 1 cup coconut milk and left out the butter (to make it vegan).

I tear up when he told about sitting together above newspaper as a dinner table. Coming form humble beginning he achieved so much.

A humble man,down to earth. Made me smile throughout the video.

Absolutely fantastic!! Loved the man's simplicity in cooking and ofcourse how he draws inspiration from his mum and tries to stay connected to his roots.

Dal is my go to food when needing something veg, nothing beats a dal with rice and Sol kadhi.

Daal when made properly is one of the best Southern Asian dish. I swear people who complain about Daal have no taste.

I had Dal with my brother in the streeets of Delhi 50 years ago. It could not have been this complicated? But tasty is is.

Came across this channel for the first time. Absolutely love the way you cooked your dal makhni. Being from the same place, I can certainly tell you that you must have gone through a tough time before reaching the peak. Absolutely inspiring. With love and respect for your mom, Ash

The moment he opened his mouth I could tell he's got a beautiful soul.

Koch literally means Chef or cook in German ;-) I love Indian food

गरीबों और देवताओं का भोजन. भारतीय लोग मैं सिर्फ तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ... You are just an incredible group of people and I love India 🙂

This dish is amazing, after toying around with making this for the longest time I finally did it. 10/10 would recommend trying to make, I can't see how you could go wrong unless you forget your cooking it and leave the pot on for too long.

Indian cuisine is my favorite. I tried this recipe immediatly after watching the video, and it's definetly the best dal I've ever eaten. Thank you Chef for this wonderful recipe!

Indian cuisine is one of the most delicious cuisine in the world.

"Whatever little we had was enough to enjoy life and be with each other." A heartfelt meal and words.

All those chefs are artists. Understanding ingredients and being able to cook such meals is magic.

I love every word that comes out of this man's mouth. He's filled with warmth, kindness, and passion, and I dont think we take enough time to appreciate the rarity of such a beautiful spirit. I know it's a cliche, but he is the embodiment of, "If only we had more people like him in this world..."

As a Burman living in Canada now, this is so wonderful to see. Some of my most precious memories are of my Mom, Aunts and Grandmas cooking whilst I tried to help.

I came across this recipe so many years ago and his tips and methods improved my cooking tenfold. I really enjoy making dal (lentils) this way. Can't stop eating. Glad I came across it again.

Yeah, congratulations to the chef! And it feels great that such a humble dish yet it cannot be ignored anymore.

Wow what a down to earth gentleman. At his celebrity level, people hide their childhood financial crisis under the carpet. Here is our man happily sharing good and bad with grace beaming with beautiful memories (being a child with parents no matter how rich or poor) of childhood.

More than the food preparation I enjoyed listening to you speak about your family

Such a wonderful humble human. I'm proud to share our common Indian heritage with you.

Love the way he talks about family.....and food. It is the same for us whose parents were born in Indonesia but immigrated to the Netherlands.

I love the way he talks about his family specially his mom. I'm going to get some black dal now.

Best wishes... I lived in Manchester and London as well...indian dal makhni, Pakistani biryani and of course Bengali food helped me to settle in easily...thanks to UKs rich culture and multiethnicity I have tasted dishes of 45 countries...bless you all...bless all moms

He spoke so softly, smoothly and passionately. It was a breezy ride of knowledge and childhood. Why isn't our education system like this, learning would be so easy and fun

Of course, she said that. GREAT JOB.. THANK YOU.

newspaper on floor as dining table ... doesn't get any more indian (80's-90's) than that! the good old days, when life was simple! sirjee, thanks for the simple recipe :)

No matter how many Michelin stars a chef gets, nothing beats the food mum makes

Wow, what an amazingly inspiring and down-to-earth bloke, Im so gonna make this soon.

It made me smile to hear the love for family this fellow has.

His humility and great love and respect for her mom and the rest of her family is what makes this man great. Cooking is secondary.

That was beautiful. There is no better privilege than having good parents.

Love recipes likes this! So many comfort foods are meat based and people try to find ways to substitute the meat in the dish to make it "healthy" but it's just not as satisfying. A vegetarian dish that's already a rich comfort food without any compromise is perfect to demonstrate how vegetable dishes can be full flavored on their own.

This is the best dish I‘ve ever made. Life changing. Thank you!

Certainly Indian food is a blessings to humanity! 😉

One tip - the taste and creaminess in dal makhni is mostly about how well the starch is cooked. It has resistant starch and trust me, your dal will always taste good as long as starch is well cooked. That’s why he said 90 mins.

I must view this video once a month to remind myself the process of this dish and in my own way revisit my virtual friend who is the chef. He has a humble and joyous way about him that anyone would befriend.

This video is endearing and nice to watch while learning a dish ❤️

There is no such thing as perfect Dal. Every home has its own recipe and each is perfect for the people in that home. Personal favourites, yes.

That looks like the most delicious bowl of comfort ever

Seems like a real decent human being! I’m going to make this as he presented it so well. I can’t wait! 🙏🏾

Watching a Michelin star chef pour water that clumsily has resparked by passion to become one.😂😂

I grew up eating on a dining table but today I don't have one as i love eating while sitting crossed legged on the floor. That's our culture, to eat sitting on the floor.

I love this segment. Thanks for introducing us to Atul Kochhar, and this lovely recipe. Cheers from Vancouver Canada and hope everyone is staying safe. -G

Beautiful dish, and loved the backstory! Looks delicious!

Thank you, I am in the U.S and this made me emotional. My mother used to make it. I just spoke to her and told her to make this for me when I come to visit. It's has been 3 years now. I miss my family. It made the video special when you spread the Newspaper as a dining table. it brought back old memories.

I really liked his childhood story. He is truly an inspiration

The dal looks exactly like my mom would cook. I know she is a michellin star chef. Every South Asian mom is. :)

Ah! Loved your video and it was so heartwarming! I will be making this!

I love this man, so passionate and you can tell that food is just genuinely his life.

This is the most perfect recipe! Making it for the second time in 2 weeks. Hello from Texas USA!

What a pleasant experience that was. Thank you Chef for being a good teacher, without any histrionics, shouting , swearing, etc., that so bedevils certain other, so called ' celebrity ',( not my word ), chefs.

So authentic so delicious! Love Daal Makhni.

Delicious! Have to try this. Daal is amazing and so healthy ❤️