Soak urad dal (black gram) and rajma (kidney beans) in enough water that there is an inch over, for at least 8 hours.

Drain the water from the soaked urad dal and rajma and add them to a pot with ¼ teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Bring this to a boil and then reduce the flame to a simmer. Cover and cook for an hour till the beans can be easily smashed between your fingers. Ensure that the dal is completely submerged in water and there is at least an inch of extra water above the dal.

Once the dal mixture is cooked, lightly smash it with a potato masher, making sure to leave them partially intact.

Heat oil in a pot and add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Sauté them for a minute or two till you can smell the spices and add ginger garlic paste, green chilli and onions to the pot. Cook this till the onions turn translucent.

Add the tomatoes (blended), red chilli powder, salt and garam masala. Cook till the tomatoes are mushy, and add the cooked lentils and beans with 1 cup water. Bring this to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or till the dal has thickened, making sure to stir occasionally because the dal tends to stick to the bottom.

Mix in the heavy cream, butter and kasuri methi. Switch off the flame and let the dal makhani rest for 15 minutes before serving, topped with more cream. Dal Makhani is ideally made the previous day to let the flavors mingle.