How to make Indian curry sauce at home

Onion Tomato curry sauce is a simple everyday Indian-style onion tomato masala paste that can be used to make many Indian dishes in less time.

This onion tomato curry sauce is usually called bhuna masala (means roasted masala). I have modified the authentic bhuna masala recipe a little bit to make it thick and tasty.

This stores very well in the freezer for around 3 to 4 months and 5 days in the refrigerator. So you can make it on Sunday and use it on weekdays for quick lunch and dinner recipes.

Tomato curry sauce recipe with step by step pictures:

In this recipe, I'm showing you two methods. I use Instant Pot to make a large quantity of this curry masala and save it in the refrigerator to use it multiple times.

You can easily make this onion tomato curry base using a stovetop pan if making it for a single serving portion.

Method 1: Stovetop method of making bhuna masala

• Heat a pan and add oil to it.

• Once it is hot, add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, cardamon, cloves, and bay leaf to it.

• After a minute or so, add sliced onions and fry them on medium flame until they turn golden brown.

• It took around 8 minutes for me to brown them like this.

• Now add grated carrot and stir it once.

• Then add chopped tomatoes and cook until it is done. All the water release from the tomatoes should be evaporated. It will take around 7 to 8 minutes and depends on quantity and flame.

• Let this onion-tomato mixture cool down a bit. Remove the bay leaf and discard it.

• Now take this cooled mixture into a mixer grinder and make it into a fine or coarse paste depending on your liking.

Method 2: Instant Pot Indian tomato curry sauce

• Start the instant pot in saute mode.
• Once it is hot, add oil to it. Now add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, chopped ginger, cardamon, cloves, and bay leaf to it.

• After a minute or so, add sliced onions and fry them until they turn golden brown. 

• Keep stirring the onions in between so that they do not burn.

• Once they are browned, you can see the oil oozing out from them. It will take around 20 minutes for onions to brown.

• Now add chopped carrots and mix it well.

• Next, add sliced tomatoes and let them cook for a couple of minutes.

• Turn off the saute mode and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Select the Manual mode or Pressure cook mode and cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes.
• Once the Instant Pot beeps and it is done, manually release the pressure carefully. Tomatoes will be cooked nicely. Remove the bay leaf and discard it.

• Now using an immersion blender, blend the onion-tomato mixture into a smooth paste.
• If you are using a normal mixer grinder or blender, make sure to cool the tomato paste and blend it.

Recipe Notes and variations:

• Adding carrots is optional. I add carrots as they will add a slightly sweet flavor and balance tartness in tomato.
• If you are not using carrots in this recipe, you can add 1 or 2 soft dates or a teaspoon of sugar. Adding dates or sugar will balance the tartness of tomatoes.
• As a variation, you could even use red bell pepper in this recipe. You can skip carrots and add peppers or use both.
• If you are using an immersion blender directly in the Instant Pot, do not touch the bottom of the pot to avoid scratches.
• Cardamom and cloves are optional but they will give a nice flavor and aroma to the curry.
• You can skip ginger or garlic or both if you do not have them handy.
• For a family of 4 to 5, we need a cup of this tomato masala paste to make any Indian curry. To make any dal, we need a half cup of this.

How to store this tomato curry masala:

• If you want to use this bhuna masala paste in a week, store it in an airtight steel or glass box in the refrigerator. Use a clean spoon to take this paste to avoid spoilage.
• I prefer to store them in small boxes that can hold 1 cup of masala paste so that we can take out one box at a time and use it up.
• If storing this tomato curry sauce in the freezer, store each cup of sauce in a small box and freeze them individually. In this way, you can take out one box at a time and thaw it before use.
• You can fill this curry paste in an ice tray and freeze it until it is set. Then remove the sauce blocks and store them in the freezer pouches or freezer-friendly boxes. I do not use plastic much in my kitchen and store a cup of this paste in a steel box.

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Bhuna Masala Recipe:

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Instant Pot tomato curry sauce recipe:

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