• Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).

Pressure cook your dal.

• Add the soaked and drained black urad dal and kidney beans to an Instant Pot. Add the rest of the dal makhani ingredients, and mix well.
• Close the lid and pressure cook on bean mode(preferred) or pressure cook mode for 1 hour, and let the pressure release naturally.

Make the base sauce.

• Heat the 2 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them cook until they change color significantly and also smell very fragrant. They should get pretty dark in color.
• Add in the bay leaves, and mix in for a few seconds, add in the green chili and ginger and mix for a few more seconds, then mix in all of the ground spices for a few seconds. The pan is going to be hot, so you want to be careful. Mix really quickly.
• Add in the zucchini and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix well, adding splashes of water to help the spices get onto the zucchini. Continue to cook until the zucchini is golden and cooked down. This will take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. After the first 4 or 5 minutes, cover the pan with a lid to help the zucchini cook faster, and then continue to cook until the zucchini is cooked and roasted.
• Mix in the tomato puree, chopped tomato, and yogurt. Press and mix to break some of those tomatoes down, and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes to break down some of the chopped tomatoes.
• Once the mixture is boiling consistently and some of tomatoes the are tender, switch off the heat, remove half of the sauce, and set that aside. Remove another heaping tablespoon of the sauce to add to the potatoes and that set aside, as well.
• To the remaining sauce in the pan, add the bell pepper, the 2 ounces tomato puree and the 1/2 cup cashew cream. Mix well and bring to a boil, then switch off the heat.

Make the baked tofu tikka

• In a small bowl, add the tofu and non-dairy yogurt, and toss well to coat. (Also add a teaspoon mustard oil for added flavor) optional
• Mix together all the dried spices in a small bowl and sprinkle those all over the tofu, tossing well to coat.
• Spread this tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet. Keep each piece half an inch away from each other, and then bake for 25 to 30 minutes. I usually bake the tofu before starting to make the sauce, so that while I'm cooking the sauce for the baked tofu tikka gets ready.
• Once the tofu is baked, fold half of it into the sauce gently. (If the sauce is too thick, add in 1/2 cup or so of water, and bring it to a boil and then fold in the tofu ). Place the rest of the tofu on top of the sauce, don't mix it in. Garnish it with cilantro and finely chopped green chili, and this dish is ready to serve.

Finish making the dal.

• By now, your dal is probably ready. If the pressure has released, open the lid, then add in the sauce you reserved for the dal along with the smoked paprika and 3 to 4 ounces of canned tomato puree and 1/3 cup cashew cream. Mix in, turn on Saute mode, and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Usually I’ll add a little more salt at this point. You can also add a little bit of lemon to break through the flavor. Then, transfer it to a serving bowl, garnish it with some cilantro, and drizzle with some more of the cashew cream, and the dal is ready to serve.

Make the potatoes.

• Put the potatoes in a large skillet with the water, half the salt, over medium high heat, and cover with the lid. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir once in between, but then let them generally cook undisturbed.
• While the potatoes are cooking, use a mortar and pestle or a food processor, and process or press down all of the peanut sesame masala ingredients, so that the peanuts break down. If you're using a food processor, first add the peanuts and process them to break them down and then add the rest of the ingredients and combine.
• Once the potatoes are done cooking, open the lid, add 1 teaspoon oil(mustard oil if possible or use neutral oil), and add the peanut sesame mix and a tablespoon of the reserved base sauce, tossing well to coat. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the coating is toasted and the potatoes start getting toasted on the edges. 3-4 mins Keep moving them around. You want to use a good non-stick pan here, so that the peanut sesame coating doesn't stick to the pan.
• Once the potatoes are cooked, carefully taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can sprinkle in more salt or some chaat masala to increase the salty flavor of the potatoes.

Make the rice.

• In a saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/2 teaspoon oil. If using raw cashews, then add the cashews now and cook and toast until they're starting to turn golden. Then remove them from the pan. Once the oil is hot again, add in the mustard seeds and let them start to sputter or start to shake and change color to grayish. Then mix in the washed rice, turmeric, lemon juice, water, and salt. Partially cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the water and looks pretty fluffy.
• Switch off the heat, and let the rice sit for a few minutes before opening and fluffing and transferring to a bowl to serve topped with the toasted cashews and some cilantro.

Serve the meal.

• Make the quick raita (see notes), warm your naan or flatbread in a skillet or the microwave or the oven, and brush it with some vegan butter and serve it with chutneys of choice or Indian pickle.