Indian Onion Tomato Masala Base

frozen onion tomato masala paste in an ice cube tray, with some frozen masala paste cubes in a bowl on one side, and a marker pen & ziplock bag on the other side

Indian Onion Tomato Masala Base

steps to make and freeze indian onion tomato masala

Course n/a

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings big bowl

Calories 678kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Ingredients

3 tablespoon oil
4 cups chopped onion
1.5 cups chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Heat up a little oil, and add chopped onions and salt.
Mix well, and saute on medium high heat till the onions turn light (or deeper) golden brown. This might take 10-20 minutes, depending on the pan you are using. Use a wide bottomed pan for browning onions faster.
When the onions are browned, add in the chopped tomatoes, and roast for 5-10 minutes till they get cooked, and turn softy and mushy.
That's it. That's the base recipe for making onion tomato masala. However, you can make modifications and adjustments to this base recipe, as shared below.

Optional Additions

Ginger & Garlic - If you choose to add ginger & garlic, then roast them first in oil, before adding onions. For 4 cups of chopped onion, use 2 tablespoon of chopped ginger and 2 tablespoon of chopped garlic.
Indian Spices - If you choose to add basic Indian spice powders to this, then add them after you've roasted the onions, and before the tomatoes. You can add a few spoons of water to ensure the masalas don't burn. For 4 cups of chopped onion, use 2 teaspoon garam masala powder, 2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1-2 teaspoon chilli powder, and 1 teaspoon cumin powder.

Notes

Important Notes:

Adjust the ratio of onion vs tomato based on your preferences, and the amount of sourness you want in your curry base. I always use a little less than half quantity of tomatoes to onion. You can do 1:1. Or even use a little more tomatoes than onions. Based on your preference and the sourness of tomatoes.
You can either store this masala base as is, or grind it into a fine paste before storing it, based on whether you prefer texture in your curries or a smoother curry base.
If you want to make a dump & go style of Instant Indian Curry, check out this recipe for Bhuna Masala - it's the perfect base for quick Indian curries.

Pro Tips:

Choose a flat, wide bottomed pan to speed up the roasting of the onions and tomatoes.
Adding salt while sauteing onions speeds up the process of browning onions.
Use an onion / vegetable chopper like this one to chop onions and tomatoes in minutes.
Double (or triple) this recipe, and multitask while roasting onions & tomatoes to meal prep like a boss! :D

Storing & Freezing Tips:

This onion tomato masala base stores well for 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Store in an air-tight glass container.
Bigger batches can be frozen in glass storage containers or ice cube trays. If you’re using ice cube trays, then ensure to transfer the frozen masala cubes, into a zip-lock bag. And remove all the excess air out of the zip-lock bag, before sealing it, and storing it in the freezer.

Thawing & Using Tips:

If you have frozen this masala in cubes, just take out as many cubes as you need, and directly warm them on the stove-top.
If you have frozen this masala in a bigger glass storage container, you can either thaw out the container in the refrigerator or the kitchen counter-top.
If you have thawed out more masala base than you need, you can refrigerate the rest, and use up within a week. Do not refreeze thawed masala base.

Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition