This recipe is part of a series of sauce recipes. Preparing the sauce or the paste that creates the foundation of the flavors for the finished dish is often the first step. Learn to cook a sauce and you can prepare a wide range of recipes with a variety of ingredients – meat, vegetables, paneer, potatoes, etc. The sauce is a canvas for your creative expression, and I encourage you to deviate from the recipe and vary the selection and quantities of the spices, to develop a unique recipe for your personal taste.
The Hindi word masala has multiple meanings depending on the context. It can refer to a mix of spices such as Garam Masala, or to a paste made with spices, aromatics, onions or tomatoes. The sauce base or masala can be prepared in a larger quantity and kept it in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen for several months. Preparing the base in advance will greatly speed up the total cooking time of any recipe. If you’re planning on freezing the masala, then I recommend that you only add Turmeric Powder (it’s a preservative) and omit the other spices. All needed spices when you’re cooking a recipe. Another useful tip is that when you’re going to be making the masala and plan to store it in the fridge, add a little more oil, since that helps to preserve it longer.
This recipe yields about a cup of the masala base. You can proportionately scale the quantities of the ingredients to make a larger batch; the cooking times will also be longer than the estimates indicated in this recipe.
Tomato Masala
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil Can use Vegetable oil, Canola oil, Ghee, or other preferred medium.
- 4 cups Tomatoes Crushed, grated or chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1-2 Green Chilies Finely chopped; adjust per your desired heat level
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder Use Cayenne Pepper for extra heat; can substitute with Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Salt to taste
Method
- Dice the tomatoes or crush them in a chopper.
- Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a thick bottomed pan on medium heat and add the Cumin Seeds.1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds, 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- When the Cumin Seeds start to sizzle, add the Ginger-Garlic paste and the Green Chilies. Fry, stirring frequently, until the Ginger-Garlic paste starts to turn brown.1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste, 1-2 Green Chilies
- You will notice that the raw aroma of the Ginger and Garlic diminishes when it turns brown.
- Next reduce the heat to low and add Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder and Dried Fenugreek Leaves and toast the spices for about 30 seconds. IMPORTANT: You must reduce the heat to low, otherwise the spices will burn.1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- The spices will form a thick paste with the oil and the Ginger-Garlic and Green Chillies.4 cups Tomatoes, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, 1 tsp Salt
- Add the crushed Tomatoes, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder and Salt. Stir well so that the tomatoes get mixed with the spices.
- Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring every few minutes. Adjust the heat as needed as the sauce starts to thicken.
- Cook until the excess liquid has dried up and the oil starts to separate out. For the quantity in this recipe, it took close to 40 minutes. TIP: The tomatoes initially absorb the oil, and as they start to cook and lose their water with the cooking, they release the oil. That’s your cue to continue to the next step.
- Sprinkle the Garam Masala and mix it in. The Tomato Masala Paste is ready to use in any recipe. When using in a recipe, you can add water to adjust to your desired level of consistency.1/2 tsp Garam Masala
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