This Bhuna Sauce is your go-to base for everyday Indian dishes! Use it to make quick and flavorful curries like Chana Masala, Palak Paneer, or Tarka Dal. This Indian curry sauce freezes well, making it ideal for quick, homemade Indian meals in 15 minutes or a speedy curry in a hurry.
I’ve been making this Bhuna sauce base in large batches for years now. From my experience I can tell you, once you prepare base curry sauces like this onion-tomato masala sauce, balti sauce or tandoori sauce, you’ve cut down 90% of the work.
No more peeling onions, tomatoes, ginger, or garlic. You also won’t need to spend time sautéing everyday. I also make Rajma masala, Tarka dal, Green lentils dal and more in just under 15 minutes with this sauce.
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Why This Recipe Works?
- Make-ahead big batch: Make a large batch of onion-tomato masala paste in advance, giving you a “curry base in a hurry” for busy days.
- Time Saving: No need to sauté onions, tomatoes, ginger, or garlic every time. You save big on prep time.
- Budget friendly ingredients: You only need basic staples like onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and spices.
- Make it on the stovetop or use an Instant Pot for a quicker option.
- Freezer-Friendly: Always ready to use whenever needed.
- Dietary needs: The masala recipe is vegan and naturally gluten-free.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full ingredient details and quantities.
- Onion - I use red onions for best flavors. Any other variety also works.
- Tomato - Choose fresh, ripe tomatoes to enhance the sauce's richness. To intensify the colour, consider adding tomato paste.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic - Don't use store bought ginger garlic paste.
- Spices - For the bhuna masala, I use Ground turmeric, Red Chilli Powder, homemade ground coriander, homemade ground cumin and garam masala spice blend.
- Oil - I use sunflower oil or vegetable oil. Alternatively you can also use olive oil or avocado oil to make bhuna masala.
Prep the Vegetables for Bhuna Sauce
Preparing the ingredients ahead of time makes the process smoother. I prefer using a blender or food processor to finely chop them. This helps them break down easily while cooking and reduces cooking time.
- Start by adding ginger and garlic to the processor and chop them finely. Set aside.
- Next, add the onions and chop them finely as well. Set them aside.
- Finally, roughly chop the tomatoes and process them until finely chopped.
How to Make Bhuna Sauce?
Step 1: Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, sautéing until fragrant
Step 2: Add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn slightly brown, about 20 minutes. If they stick to the pan, add a splash of water (I didn’t add any)
Step 3: Add the tomatoes and combine.
Step 4: Add spices and salt. Continue to cook until the tomatoes break down.
Step 5: Cover and cook, stir in between until the masala comes together really well. About 25-30 minutes. For smooth consistency, process in a blender.
Step 6: Store the cooled masala in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze in individual portions.
How to Use This Homemade Bhuna Masala in Indian Recipes?
This onion tomato masala paste is the foundation of many Indian gravy based recipes. Here's how I use it for making quick Indian curries.
- Quick Chana Masala: To make easy Chana Masala in 10 minutes, I add cooked chickpeas, ¾ - 1 cup of water, ½ a cup of onion tomato masala 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 easy Aloo Matar, add diced potatoes and peas to the masala cubes and water. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. Season to taste, add with ½ teaspoon homemade garam masala and ½ teaspoon chilli powder as need. Finish with fresh coriander and serve with homemade Garlic Naan bread without yeast.
- Red Lentils Dal Tadka: To your cooked red lentils, add 1 cube or ½ cup of curry sauce, ½ - 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.
Freezing Indian Curry Sauce for Later Use
Allow the masala cool completely and then freeze in individual portions. I used large silicone ice cube trays to freeze the bhuna masala. it holds ½ cup masala in each compartment.
Once frozen, I transfer them to zip lock bags.
I use this frozen bhuna masala straight from the freezer into the recipes without needing to thaw.
Sandhya's Pro Tips
- The secret to the best curry sauce is cooking the masala well and adding the right amount of spices and seasoning.
- Always use fresh ingredients—avoid canned tomatoes or store-bought ginger and garlic. It makes a noticeable difference in flavor.
- Chopping the veggies in a processor will save you time and effort.
- Generously use oil when making the base masala. It enhances the flavors and acts as a preservative, helping to preserve the rich taste in the gravy. When I make my easy chana masala with frozen bhuna masala cubes, I don’t add any oil at all, and it still tastes amazing.
- Once cooked and cooled to room temperature, this masala freezes exceptionally well and can be stored until you’re ready to use it. (See freezing instructions below)
Recipe FAQ's
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.
In my experience, restaurants make curry sauces so creamy by using fried onions, cashews, and/or dairy products for that rich sweetness. Sometimes, they also add ground coconut, white poppy seeds, or watermelon seeds to boost the creaminess.
The secret to making your curry sauce taste like takeaway is all about slow-cooking the base. Instead of just combining onions and tomatoes quickly, cook them for a longer time to build depth of flavor. Make the base in advance, then simply add your choice of veggies, beans, or chicken, and your takeaway-style curry is ready in no time
Your curry can taste bitter if the spices or garlic get burnt during cooking, or if you’ve added too much fenugreek. To avoid this, be careful not to overcook the spices and use fenugreek in moderation
More Easy Indian Recipes
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 ½ cup, chopped
- 15 cm ginger about 65g or ½ cup, chopped
- 150 ml sunflower oil about ⅔ cup
- 3 teaspoon salt
Spices
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon 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, 15 cm 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 teaspoon turmeric, 1-2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 3 teaspoon salt
- Allow the onion tomato masala to cool down, then blend it to a smooth consistency. This super easy bhuna sauce can be used as a base for many recipes, including dals, stews, curries, sabzis, or rice dishes.
Notes
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- Chopping the veggies in a processor will save you time and effort. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can chop everything by hand, but it will take a bit longer.
- The secret to the best curry sauce is cooking the masala longer and adding the right amount of spices and seasoning.
-
- Always use fresh ingredients—avoid canned tomatoes or store-bought ginger and garlic. It makes a noticeable difference in flavor.
-
- Generously use oil when making the base curry sauce. It enhances the flavors and acts as a preservative, helping to preserve the rich taste in the gravy. When I make my easy chana masala with frozen curry sauce cubes, I don’t add any oil at all, and it still tastes amazing.
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- They key well in the fridge in air tight container for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.
How to freeze Bhuna Sauce? 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 ½ 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 ½ teaspoon garam masala and ½ teaspoon 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 ½ cup of curry sauce, ½ - 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.