What is Dal Bukhara?

Dal Bukhara is a creamy black bean soup cooked over low fire. It is a popular dish in Punjabi restaurants.

Bukhara is the capital of 'Bukhara Province' of Uzbekistan. It is located on the silk road connecting to North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of undivided India. Peshawar is the capital city of NWFP. Bukhara style cooking is a fusion of Bukhara and Peshawari cooking.
Traditionally, the whole skin-on black Matpe (Sabut Urad) are soaked in water for a few hours and than left to cook in water on charcoal embers over-night in a Handi. Handi looks like the old bean-pot used in United States to make baked beans. In the morning the beans were tender and burst open. The tender beans were mashed. Ginger garlic salt and pepper are ground together and stirred in. Finely chopped tomatoes, Malai (Clotted or Devonshire cream), and Ghee (clarified butter) are added. The soup is cooked again on a low heat for an hour or so in the Handi till all flavors were well blended. Gob of Makhan (Cultured white butter) is stirred into hot soup before eating.

Nowadays, the beans may be cooked in pressure cooker till tender. The tender beans are pulverized in a food processor along with ginger garlic and tomatoes. Malai and Makhan (cultured butter) are stirred in. The mixture is left to cook for an hour or so till al the flavors are blended in. In United states, Malai may be replaced replaced with heavy whipping cream, and the Makhan replaced with un-salted sweet butter and sour cream.

The current popularity of Dal Bukhara came after it was introduced by the world famous 'Bukhara Restaurant' (Part of Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi) as their signature dish. Bukhara in the name of the dish refers to the style of cooking and not the name of the restaurant. Dal Bukhara was served to Hillary Clinton on July 20, 2009 as a part of 'Hillary Platter' at 'Bukhara Restaurant'. In modern recipes,

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