People ask what goes into our dal makhani, expecting a long list. It is whole black urad, a handful of rajma, tomato, ginger, garlic, butter, cream and salt. The rest is time.
The dal is washed and soaked the night before. At about seven in the morning it goes into a heavy pot with water and nothing else, and sits at the edge of the fire where it barely moves. It is never boiled hard, because a rolling boil breaks the skins and turns the pot to paste.
Through the day one cook is responsible for the pot. He stirs it, scrapes the bottom and mashes a few lentils against the side each time. That slow mashing is what makes the dal thick without any flour or starch.
Tomato, ginger and garlic go in after about eight hours, once the lentils are completely soft. Butter follows in stages. Cream goes in at the very end, per order, so it does not split.
The pot that starts at seven is served from nine at night and through the next day's lunch. That is where the fourteen hours come from. If we run out, we run out, because there is no quick way to make more.
At home, the same method works on the lowest flame you have. Give it at least six hours and do not rush the stirring.