curry base recipe | basic curry sauce | all-purpose curry base gravy with detailed photo and video recipe. an easy and simple multipurpose gravy base which can be used for myriad north indian gravy. basically the same concept is used in most of the indian restaurant to quickly prepare different types of curries. you may make this once and store it in the freezer and use it whenever required.
i guess most of them have faced this situation where either they do not have much time to spend in the kitchen. or feel monotonous and bored in preparing the same style curries with different vegetables. and you may have also wondered how on the earth these indian restaurants prepare different types of curries within minutes. and the same recipe takes forever for us to prepare at home? well, the answer is the multipurpose basic curry sauce or curry base recipe. basically you need to prepare it once and refrigerate it and use it for curries like kadai paneer, mutter paneer, kaju masala or mix veg gravy. i personally have not tried with any meat, but i am confident that it can also be used with any choice of meats. perhaps you may need to pressure cook it separately and mix it with this sauce.
in addition, some more tips, suggestions variations to the all-purpose curry base recipe. firstly, in this recipe, i have prepared the basic curry sauce with just onions and tomatoes to get the thick base. as a fusion, you may also use carrots, capsicums and bell peppers on top onion and tomato base. secondly, if you wish to have a longer shelf life you may need to be generous in adding cooking oil while preparing the base. oil helps to preserve the sauce and also improves the shelf life of the curry base. lastly, you may need to freeze the curry sauce and you should be good by just refrigerating it. it should easily last long for 4 weeks easily.
finally, i request you to check my other curries recipes collection with this post of basic curry sauce. it mainly includes my other detailed recipes like milkmaid, cheese in 30 minutes, Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know, how to make butter , ghee , buttermilk & whipped cream from cream, badam powder, aam papad, 5 things you are doing wrong in the kitchen and how to correct it, how to clean & maintain cast iron / skillet pan, how to make paneer at home, top 6 health benefits of mint leaf. further to these i would also like to mention my other recipe categories like,
curry base video recipe:
recipe card for basic curry sauce recipe:
curry base recipe | basic curry sauce | all-purpose curry base gravy
Ingredients
for onion tomato paste:
- ½ cup oil
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp clove
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 tsp cumin
- 500 grams onion, sliced
- 30 grams garlic
- 30 grams ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 kg tomato, sliced
for base:
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- 3 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
for cashew melon paste:
- ¼ cup cashew
- ¼ cup melon seeds
- ½ cup hot water
for matar paneer:
- 1 tsp butter
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup peas / matar, boiled or frozen
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 15 cube paneer / cottage cheese, fried
- 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
for kaju masala:
- 3 tsp oil
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ½ capsicum, sliced
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cashew, fried
- 1 tbsp cream
- 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed
Instructions
onion tomato paste preparation:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat ½ cup oil and add 1 inch cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp clove, 2 bay leaf and 1 tsp cumin.
- saute on low flame until it turns aromatic.
- now add 500 grams onion, 30 grams garlic, 30 grams ginger, 1 tsp salt and saute well.
- further, add 1 kg tomato, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until it turns soft and mushy.
- cool completely and transfer to the blender.
- blend to smooth paste without adding any water. keep aside.
cashew melon paste preparation:
- firstly, in a bowl take ¼ cup cashew, ¼ cup melon seeds and soak in ½ cup hot water for 15 minutes.
- blend to smooth paste. keep aside.
mulitpurpose base preparation:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat ¼ cup oil and add 1 tsp turmeric, 3 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder, 3 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder and 1 tsp garam masala.
- saute on low flame until the spices turn aromatic.
- now add in prepared onion tomato masala paste and mix well.
- cover and cook for 20 minutes or until oil separates. make sure to stir in between to prevent from burning.
- further add in prepared cashew melon paste and cook well.
- cook until the mixture separates the oil.
- finally, curry base is ready. cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight box for upto 10 days. you can freeze for upto a month.
matar paneer preparation using curry base:
- firstly, in a pan heat 1 tsp butter and saute ½ tsp cumin and 1 bay leaf.
- now add ½ onion and saute well.
- further add ½ cup peas and saute for a minute.
- add in 1 cup of prepared curry base and saute for a minute.
- now add ½ cup water and ½ tsp salt. mix well adjusting consistency as required and boil.
- further add 15 cube paneer and mix well.
- also add 1 tsp kasuri methi, ¼ tsp garam masala and 2 tbsp coriander.
- finally, enjoy matar paneer recipe with roti.
kaju masala preparation using curry base:
- firstly, in pan heat 3 tsp oil and saute 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp cumin.
- add ½ onion and saute well.
- also add ½ capsicum and saute until it shrinks slightly.
- further add 1 cup of prepared curry base and saute for a minute.
- now add ½ cup water and ½ tsp salt. mix well adjusting consistency as required and boil.
- further add ¼ cup cashew and mix well.
- also add 1 tbsp cream, 1 tsp kasuri methi and mix well.
- finally, enjoy kaju masala recipe with roti.
Nutrition
how to make curry base with step by step photo:
onion tomato paste preparation:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat ½ cup oil and add 1 inch cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp clove, 2 bay leaf and 1 tsp cumin.
- saute on low flame until it turns aromatic.
- now add 500 grams onion, 30 grams garlic, 30 grams ginger, 1 tsp salt and saute well.
- further, add 1 kg tomato, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until it turns soft and mushy.
- cool completely and transfer to the blender.
- blend to smooth paste without adding any water. keep aside.
cashew melon paste preparation:
- firstly, in a bowl take ¼ cup cashew, ¼ cup melon seeds and soak in ½ cup hot water for 15 minutes.
- blend to smooth paste. keep aside.
mulitpurpose base preparation:
- firstly, in a large kadai heat ¼ cup oil and add 1 tsp turmeric, 3 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder, 3 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder and 1 tsp garam masala.
- saute on low flame until the spices turn aromatic.
- now add in prepared onion tomato masala paste and mix well.
- cover and cook for 20 minutes or until oil separates. make sure to stir in between to prevent from burning.
- further add in prepared cashew melon paste and cook well.
- cook until the mixture separates the oil.
- finally, curry base is ready. cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight box for upto 10 days. you can freeze for upto a month.
matar paneer preparation using curry base:
- firstly, in a pan heat 1 tsp butter and saute ½ tsp cumin and 1 bay leaf.
- now add ½ onion and saute well.
- add in 1 cup of prepared curry base and saute for a minute.
- further add ½ cup peas and saute for a minute.
- now add ½ cup water and ½ tsp salt. mix well adjusting consistency as required and boil.
- further add 15 cube paneer and mix well.
- also add 1 tsp kasuri methi, ¼ tsp garam masala and 2 tbsp coriander.
- finally, enjoy matar paneer recipe with roti.
kaju masala preparation using curry base:
- firstly, in pan heat 3 tsp oil and saute 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp cumin.
- add ½ onion and saute well.
- also, add ½ capsicum and saute until it shrinks slightly.
- further add 1 cup of prepared curry base and saute for a minute.
- now add ½ cup water and ½ tsp salt. mix well adjusting consistency as required and boil.
- further, add ¼ cup cashew and mix well.
- also add 1 tbsp cream, 1 tsp kasuri methi and mix well.
- finally, enjoy kaju masala recipe with roti.
notes:
- firstly, make sure to cook masala paste really well. else the base does not last long.
- also, be generous while adding oil to increase the shelf life of curry.
- additionally, you can replace melon seeds with cashew. however, melon seeds are less expensive compared to cashew.
- finally, onion tomato paste can be filtered using a sieve to get a silky smooth curry base.