Easy peasy Masala paste is a simple zero-oil curry base prepared with onions, tomato, ginger, and garlic. Absolutely lifesaver cooking hack that gets your work done quickly and smoothly.
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About the recipe
The masala paste is a concentrated paste of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and some Indian spices. This masala paste is used as a base to make curry or dry vegetables.
This paste is useful when you are in a rush or not in the mood for chopping onions, or tomatoes for preparing the curry. Curry paste is an essential base for Indian curries. I usually make this in large batches and use it as and when required. I can't imagine my kitchen life without this. It's a perfect, lifesaving cooking hack for me.
Reasons to💖 Masala paste
- Zero oil curry base.
- Easy peasy masala paste recipe; even a beginner cook can prepare.
- Preparing it in advance fastens your cooking time and also reduces efforts to half.
- Time-saving trick.
- Makes the cooking process stress-free.
- You can store it for a long time.
Ingredients for masala paste
The ingredients required for making this Indian curry base are:
Onions: In Indian cuisines, onions play a crucial part in the curry base. Onions give a body to the curry base. It makes curry thick and delicious. Moreover, onions have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties linked to several health benefits.
Some people with IBS cannot tolerate onions as they contain FODMAPs which leads to unpleasant digestive symptoms. For low FODMAP recipes, feel free to check my low FODMAP recipes.
Garlic - A well-known culinary spice used in various forms from fresh, paste, and powder forms. It is extensively used in Indian cooking because of the distinctive flavor and aroma that it imparts to the curry base.
Tomatoes - After onions, tomatoes are the next most important part of a curry base. It is used mainly as fresh with skin and seeds. It is a perfect souring agent that imparts color and sourness to the curry base. The tangy taste of tomatoes uplifts the bland starches we consume.
Ginger - It can be used in fresh, dried, or powdered form. It has a spicy, and pungent flavor. Ginger is rich in gingerol, which possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
It aids digestion. Ginger tea is also a well-known remedy for cold and throat issues for instant relief. It is widely used to warm the body, especially masala chai in winter. One study review (published in ScienceDirect) observed that people using ginger for treating osteoarthritis found significant reductions in pain and disability.
Spices: Spices give dimensions to the curry base. These mask the bland taste of the paste.
Steps for curry base preparation
Watch the video to learn how to make a paste with onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to stay up to date on all my new videos!!
- Peel off the onion, garlic and ginger. Thoroughly rinse all the ingredients.
- Roughly chop and blend to a paste using a blender.
- Pour into the pressure cooker, and add salt, pepper, turmeric, and garam masala.
- Stir well. Cook until 2-3 whistles of the cooker and let the steam go down.
- Open the lid, partially cover it with the lid, and cook on high heat for 7-8 minutes without stirring making the paste stabilize as the excess water will evaporate soon and hence fewer splashes.
- When masala settles down, uncover it and keep on high heat with occasional stirrings to avoid sticking to the base.
- Cook until the masala paste gets dry.
- Let this zero-oil curry base cool and store it in an airtight container.
- Store it in the fridge. Use it as and when needed.
Hurray! The masala paste without adding even a single drop of oil is ready.
How an easy peasy masala paste recipe it is! Isn't it?
Note:
It is a basic idea for making easy peasy masala paste. Check the lentils recipe on how to use this curry paste.
You can make it in a large batch using more quantity than mentioned.
How to use curry base?
For making dry curried vegetables:
Add 1-2 tablespoons of this curry base (masala paste) to the vegetables in the later stage when vegetables are 80% cooked. Mix well to coat all the vegetables. Cover it and stir occasionally. Cook until the vegetable is done.
For Making curry/gravy:
First, saute the masala base in oil for 2-3 minutes, then saute lentils, or vegetables in this base. Add water of the required consistency and cook.
Alternative to the blended paste
If a blender/mixer is unavailable, roughly chop onions and tomatoes. Grate ginger and use garlic cloves as such. Cook in a cooker until 3-4 whistles. When all the water content is dried on cooking, mash it with a masher. You will get the masala of the same consistency as blended.
Storage
- Make it in a large batch, and use it whenever you plan to cook.
- Store it in a fridge. It stays fresh for more than 2 -3 weeks if stored properly.
Tips
- Make it in a large batch and store it in the fridge for use when required.
- Do not add water. Onions and tomatoes already have a lot of water in them.
- Make it dry otherwise, it won't last longer.
- Stir occasionally to avoid any sticking to the base.
- Store only when it is COMPLETELY cool.
- Store in the fridge.
- Do not use a wet spoon to take out the quantity you require.
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Recipe
Easy Peasy Masala Paste
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Equipment
- Blender/ Food processor
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 12 Onions
- 10 Garlic
- 6 Tomatoes
- 1 Ginger
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop onions, garlic, tomatoes, and ginger.
- Blend to a paste using blender/ mixer.
Cook Masala
- To a pressure cooker, pour in the blended masala paste.
- Stir in salt, pepper, turmeric and garam masala.
- Close the lid and cook until 2-3 whistles.
- When the steam goes down, open the lid, partially cover it with the lid, and let it dry on high heat for 7-8 mins.
- When masala paste settles down, uncover it. Keep on heat high.
- Cook the curry base until dry with occasional stirrings.
- Cool completely before storing it.
- Use it as and when required.
Video
Notes
- Do not add water. Onions and tomatoes already have a lot of water in them.
- Refer to more tips in the post.
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay updated on all my new videos!
Nutrition
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