Vegan Dal Makhani

Ingredients

• as needed Whole urad dal (black gram)
• small amount Kidney beans (rajma)
• a little bit Baking soda
• enough to cover legumes with a couple of inches Water
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 3 Whole cloves
• 4 (seeds from) Cardamom pods
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1 Bay leaf
• a tiny bit Nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon (use 0.5 tsp for most palettes) Indian red chili powder
• as needed Black pepper
• as needed Kosher salt
• 1 medium Red onion
• about 2 inches (finely chopped) Ginger
• 4 cloves (finely chopped) Garlic
• 2 medium (diced) Tomatoes
• as needed Oil
• as needed Tomato paste
• saved from the pot Bean and lentil cooking liquid
• enough to make about 3.5 to 4 cups Water (for simmering)
• 1/2 cup Coconut milk
• as needed Cashew cream (optional)
• as needed Cilantro
• as needed Lemon juice
• as needed Vegan butter
• a little bit Thinly sliced ginger (for tarka)
• as needed Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• as needed Garam masala
• more as desired Chili powder (for tarka)