How To Make And Freeze Onion Tomato Masala

In-fact if you do make and store or freeze this onion tomato masala in advance, maybe over the weekend, then it will help you save lots of time and energy during the week. Because you wouldn’t have to deal with all the chopping and the roasting of onions and tomatoes during the weekday, which can be really time consuming.

What is Indian Onion Masala or Onion Tomato Gravy Base?

Indian Onion Masala or Onion Tomato Gravy Base is exactly what the name makes it sound like – it’s an Indian curry base made out of onions and tomatoes. More specifically, this masala base is made out of roasting onions and tomatoes really well, and cooking them down. That being said, there are many optional additions that can be made, based on your preferences. And I’ve included them in the recipe below. Also, in the base form, this onion tomato masala base is different from Bhuna Masala. You can say it’s the simpler version of Bhuna Masala. Because Bhuna Masala has ginger, garlic, and all the basic Indian spices, which help us make most Indian curries in the dump & go style. On the other hand, this onion tomato masala, does not contain ginger and garlic or the Indian spices. Which has its own advantages, as we can choose to add or skip ginger garlic paste, and only add the spices we want to, depending on the curry we are making. Moreover, adding spices or ginger garlic paste while making curries, doesn’t take much time. It’s the chopping and roasting of onions and tomatoes that’s time consuming, and what this masala base takes care of. I use this onion tomato base when I need more control on the dish I am making, and Bhuna Masala when I want to make a dump & go style of Indian curry or rather Instant Indian curry. 😀 Side Note: If you add ALL the optional items listed, you’ll basically end up with Bhuna Masala. 🙂 And if that’s what you would rather do, you can check out this post on making Bhuna Masala in the Instant Pot (or the Stovetop).

How to Make Onion Tomato Masala

Heat up a little oil, and add in the chopped onions, and a little salt.
Saute till the onions turn golden brown. You can choose to stop when they are light golden brown. Or continue till they are a deep golden brown.
Then add in the chopped tomatoes, and saute till the tomatoes are cooked down a bit, and turn all soft and mushy.
Once the tomatoes are done, turn off the gas, and let the roast cool down to room temperature before storing it or freezing it.

Notes:

The quantity of onions vs tomatoes depends on your personal preference. I usually prefer an onion tomato ratio of approximately 1:1/3. So for every 2 cups of chopped onions, I use 3/4 cup of chopped tomatoes. You can use equal quantities of onions and tomatoes. It depends on the taste you prefer. 2. You can also choose to roast ginger and garlic, along with the onions and tomatoes. And also add Indian spices. If you choose to add ginger & garlic, roast them before the onions. And if you want to add Indian spice powders, add them after the onions are roasted. Measurements are shared in the recipe card below.
If you want your curries to have some texture, you can choose to store the onion tomato masala as is. Or if you want a smoother curry sauce, then it’s best to grind and store this in paste form. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender to get a semi coarse paste.

Pro Tips

Use a wide bottomed pan to roast onions and tomatoes faster. 2. Use an onion / vegetable chopper like this one to chop onions and tomatoes within minutes.

Storing the Masala Base

This masala base stores very well in the fridge for a week. But if you make a big batch and need it to last more than that, it’s best to freeze it.

How to Freeze Onion Tomato Masala

The best way to freeze this masala is by portioning it out in small cubes. Because then you can remove / thaw only as much as you need.

Portion out the masala into small portions, preferably use an ice cube tray.
Place the tray in the freezer, and wait for the masala cubes to freeze solid.
Once the masala cubes have frozen solid, then transfer them into a freezer safe zip-lock bag.
Seal the zip-lock bag after removing all the air out, and store it in the freezer. I usually also label the bag with the name of the contents and the date it was frozen & stored.

Thawing the Masala Base

I store this masala base two ways – one way is by freezing it in ice cube trays, and storing the masala cubes in a zip-lock bag. In this case, I remove the number of masala cubes I need, and directly warm it on the stove, while making the curry.The other way I store this masala base is in these pyrex glass containers. I just fill these glass containers and freeze them. In this case, I usually thaw out the masala by transfering the container from the freezer to the fridge, a couple of days before I need it. Note: If you thaw out a bigger amount of masala base than you need at one go, you need to use it within a week. Because you should NOT re-freeze it.

How to Use this Onion Tomato Masala Base

Recipes Using Onion Tomato Masala

You can make an endless variety of dishes using onion tomato masala as the base. Here are a few examples.

Also check out: Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste Recipe + Ratio + Storage Tips

Popular Indian Recipes on the blog:1. Mangalorean Shrimp Curry2. Kolhapuri Misal Pav3. Whole Chicken Tandoori4. 5 Minute Mango Lassi As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️

📖 RECIPE

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