Make Indian curry effortlessly at home with this easy homemade Indian curry sauce recipe. Made with 6 ingredients plus spices, this onion tomato masala is freezable and can be used for various Indian dishes and is perfect for simplifying your Indian cooking.
Make a large batch of Onion Tomato masala paste for making “curry base in a hurry” on busy days.
Home style Indian Curry sauce base: Not your everyday restaurant style curry gravy
My base Indian Curry Sauce is a staple in Indian cuisine and you can use it in a variety of dishes from dals, curries, sabzis or rice. Or use in recipes that calls for a curry sauce or onion tomato masala, from chicken tikka masala to chana masala. Some people also call it Bhuna masala.
The key ingredients for this curry base sauce are onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and warming spices. The sauce is versatile and can be made on the stove top in a large pan or in an Instant Pot for a quicker and easy option.
The secret to making the Best base curry sauce is to allow the masala to cook really well. And add the right amount of spices and seasoning.
Once you make this base gravy Onion tomato masala, you have cut down 90% of the steps involved in your everyday curries, dals and stews. Some of the popular recipes where you can use is Chana masala, Rajma masala, Tarka dal, Green lentils dal and more. Most of all they are so handy, cooking will be a breeze on busy week days, while party planning or in a hurry.
The best bit about this masala is that they freeze exceptionally well and can be stored until you are ready to use.
What are the ingredients to make basic Indian curry base sauce?
Onion – Opt for red onions for their robust flavour, which adds depth to the curry sauce. Any other variety of onion also works.
Tomato – Choose fresh, ripe tomatoes to enhance the sauce’s richness. To intensify the colour, consider adding tomato paste as an optional addition.
Fresh Ginger and Garlic – Use fresh root ginger and garlic cloves to extract the full spectrum of flavours in the curry sauce.
Spices – Enhance the flavours of your Bhuna masala with basic set of spices: Ground turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin and Garam masala.
Oil – I use sunflower oil or vegetable oil. Alternatively you can also use olive oil or avocado oil to make bhuna masala. Generously use oil, as it not only enhances the flavour but also acts as a preservative, preserving the rich flavours in the gravy.
When I make chana masala with frozen base curry sauce cubes, I omit the addition of oil altogether.
Prep the Ingredients for the Onion Tomato masala sauce
Prepping the ingredients will ease the process of making the masala. I prefer using my blender or food processor to chop them fine. Also by finely chopping the ingredients, they break down well while cooking and would take slightly lesser than time.
Add the ginger and garlic to the processor and process until finely chopped. Set it aside.
Next add the onions and process them until finely chopped. Set it aside.
Roughly chop the tomatoes and add it to the processor until finely chopped. Set it aside.
Don’t have a chopper, blender or food processor, you can use a knife and cut them, however it is time consuming.
How to make Onion Tomato masala for Indian gravies – the curry sauce base?: Step by Step
To make the curry sauce, first heat the oil on a medium heat in the pan. Add ginger, garlic and saute until they are fragrant. Next add the onions and sauté until they are slightly brown. About 20 minutes. Add a splash of water if they are sticking to the base of the pan. ( I didn’t add any)
Next, add the chopped tomatoes, salt and spices and continue to cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened. This can take anywhere between 25-30 minutes.
Allow the masala to cool down and blend to a smooth consistency. The masala is of thick consistency and as no water is used in the making, you will need to add water while adding onion tomato masala to your dishes.
Use this super easy onion tomato masala paste can be used as a base for many recipes – in dal, stews, curries, sabzi’s or rice dishes too.
How smooth should I blend the sauce?
Texture of the sauce totally depends on your liking – chunky or smooth. I like the curry sauce smooth, so I use an immersion blender or transfer to a high speed blender to process them into a smooth texture.
Freezing Onion Tomato masala cubes
Allow the onion tomato masala cool completely and then freeze in individual portions. I used large ice cube trays to freeze the masala. This holds 1/2 cup masala in each compartment. Once frozen, I transfer them to zip lock bags.
I use this frozen masala straight from the freezer into the recipes without needing to thaw.
How to use this Homemade Indian curry sauce in recipes?
This onion tomato base masala paste is the foundation of many Indian gravy based recipes. Here’s how I would use it for Quick weeknight recipes.
- Chana Masala: To make Chana Masala, I add chickpeas, 3/4 – 1 cup of water, base Indian curry sauce and simmer until the chickpeas are cooked through. Top with additional spices like garam masala. Finish with fresh coriander and kasuri methi.
- Aloo Matar: To make Aloo Matar, add diced potatoes and peas to the base Indian curry sauce and water. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. Season to taste, add with 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/2 tsp chilli powder as need. Finish with fresh coriander and serve with Naan bread.
- Dal Tadka: To your cooked red lentils, add 1 cube or 1/2 cup of curry sauce, 1/2 – 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency of the dal. Cook until heated thoroughly. Add the seasoning on the top if you like, squeeze of lemon and garnish with coriander.
Recipes where you can use this Onion Tomato masala
Use 1/2 cup of this versatile Onion Tomato masala blend, or opt for the convenience of frozen masala paste cubes, in lieu of separately preparing tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, along with turmeric, ground cumin, and ground coriander in your recipes.
Brown lentils dal
Egg Curry
Homemade Indian curry sauce recipe
Ingredients
- 7 large red onions approximately 1.36kg or 3 pounds, finely chopped
- 8 large tomatoes approximately 1.36kg or 3 pounds, finely chopped
- 20 garlic cloves about 65g or 1/2 cup, chopped
- 6 inches ginger about 65g or 1/2 cup, chopped
- 150 ml sunflower oil about 2/3 cup
- 3 tsp salt
Spices
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Add ginger and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.20 garlic cloves, 6 inches ginger, 150 ml sunflower oil
- Next, add the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add a splash of water if they start sticking to the pan (though I didn’t need to).7 large red onions
- Then, add the chopped tomatoes, salt, and spices, and continue to cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened, which can take anywhere between 25-30 minutes.8 large tomatoes, ¾ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, 3 tsp salt
- Allow the masala to cool down, then blend it to a smooth consistency. This super easy onion tomato masala can be used as a base for many recipes, including dals, stews, curries, sabzis, or rice dishes.
Notes
How to freeze Onion Tomato masala?
To freeze your Onion Tomato masala, ensure it cools thoroughly before portioning it into individual servings. I recommend using large silicone ice cube trays, with each compartment holding approximately 1/2 cup of masala. Once frozen, transfer the masala cubes to zip lock bags for convenient storage. This method preserves the masala’s freshness for up to 3 months.
I use this frozen masala straight from the freezer into the recipes without needing to thaw.
How to use this Homemade Indian curry sauce in recipes?
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- Easy Chana Masala: To make Chana Masala, I add chickpeas, 1 cup of water, base Indian curry sauce and simmer until the chickpeas are cooked through. Top with additional spices like garam masala. Finish with fresh coriander and kasuri methi.
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- Quick Aloo Matar: To make Aloo Matar, add diced potatoes and peas to the base Indian curry sauce and water. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. Season to taste, add with 1/2 tsp garam masala and 1/2 tsp chilli powder as need. Finish with fresh coriander and serve with Naan bread.
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- Red lentils Dal tadka: To your cooked red lentils, add 1 cube or 1/2 cup of curry sauce, 1/2 – 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency of the dal. Cook until heated thoroughly.Garnish with coriander.
Libby says
I made this masala. The instructions are clear and it is easy to make and tastes wonderful. How long can you keep it in the fridge? I froze half but would like to use the rest in the next 3 weeks.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Libby, So glad you loved the Indian base masala. I would say it keeps well for 1 week in the fridge.