DAL MAKHANI-MINUS THE MAKHAN

Yes, that’s what I get in my company’s cafeteria – "DAL MAKHANI" without the MAKHAN (butter) in it. Its ironical that how can the caterers in my company cafeteria still claim that DAL as DAL MAKHANI, which doesn't have a droplet of MAKHAN in it. In fact, this has not happened to me for the first time, I have witnessed the same DAL blunder many a times in this part of my country, South India(as I have been working in Hyderabad for past few years now).

Since, I have this habit of BAAL KE KHAAL UTARNE KI (thinking something useless), I started thinking of this DAL blunder too. One thing is very clear that the DAL MAKHANI’s origin is Punjab and this is where the super delicious recipe of this special delicacy was discovered. Soon after the discovery, it became so popular in whole North India that it became the flavor of everybody outside Punjab in other North Indian states as well. Apna golden source of knowledge, search engine Google says the same too – DAL MAKHANI is a type of DAL eaten in India (in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and the Bhojpuri area of Bihar).

So, now I started thinking how it came to South India? Anyways, the answer was much easier to guess as I thought about the very simple logic that it came the same way as did IDLI-DOSA to reach the North India but then I don’t see a missing SAMBAR in IDLI-SAMBAR or in DOSA-SAMBAR in North India such as the missing MAKHAN in DAL MAKHANI. Hmmm strange...so, where is the missing link??

Now I started becoming ultra imaginative about this hidden mystery and guess what I found the answer. I think the person who brought IDLI-DOSA to North India was a South Indian so he knew the recipe correctly and everything went fine, and nothing was missed but the person who brought the recipe of DAL MAKHANI to South India was either a South Indian or a Diet conscious North Indian.

I think the South Indian learnt the recipe of the DAL MAKHANI when he was on his visit to a punjabi friend's house in Delhi and he liked the DAL so much that he learnt the complete recipe but when he returned to his native he forgot the MAKHAN (butter) in the in recipe and yet his new DAL's recipe became so famous that everyone adopted this new kind of DAL in South India, and ironically the name still remained the same -- DAL MAKHANI. If it would have been the other case than certainly, this would be a very diet conscious North Indian who got so much fed up of lots and lots of MAKHAN in the DAL that he decided to tell the recipe of DAL-MAKHANI to his South Indian friends without the butter in it and the name been still told to them the same -- DAL MAKHANI.

So, finally I have convinced myself somehow and I have understand the secret behind the missing MAKHAN in the DAL and from next time onwards it wont bother me too much, when I will see a DAL MAKHANI, minus the MAKHAN !! What do you think??