A basic Tomato Onion Masala Sauce that you can store and use to make quick and flavorful curries, like Methi Malai Paneer Tofu, Chana Masala, Palak Aloo or Palak Paneer. Recipe includes Instant Pot, pressure cooker and stovetop cooking options.
Here's a Basic Tomato Onion Masala Sauce that you can make ahead and keep in your refrigerator for quick and flavorful weeknight meals that take no more than 10-15 minutes to make.
A number of Indian curries start out with a base of tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic cooked with a few spices. While this is easy enough to make, as a working mom I understand that it is not always easy to find those extra 15-20 minutes to chop and saute the ingredients.
This tomato onion sauce takes away all of that time, and you can actually get a very delicious curry like a Methi Malai Paneer Tofu Curry (Fenugreek Cream Curry with Tofu "Paneer") or a Palak Aloo (Spinach with Potatoes) or a Chana Masala and any number of dishes ready to go within 10-15 minutes tops. I've shared those recipes with you too, but first here's the recipe for the sauce so you can get cooking.
I make this sauce in the Instant Pot. You can use a pressure cooker, or do it on a stovetop, in a saucepan. I'll include all of the instructions below. Made in the Instant Pot, it takes 30 minutes from start to finish, with your hands-on time being what you need to actually chop a pound and a half of onions and a pound and a half of tomatoes. If you do this on a weekend, you'll be thanking yourself the rest of the week.
One tip on chopping the onions. If you're anything like me, you'll likely be crying your way through it. So what I do is, I chop the onions in half, put them in a bowl, and leave them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before I chop them. This reduces any tearing to a minimum.
You also need to mash up a good amount of garlic and ginger -- about a fourth of a cup. If you already have some of my homemade ginger-garlic paste on hand, good for you. You can also use storebought-- Whole Foods, if you have one near you, has some brands with no added preservatives.
You need a few basic spices for this recipe: turmeric, paprika (optional, but gives a nice color), cayenne, and coriander and cumin powders. All of these build on the flavors and give you the perfect base for a mouthwatering curry.
You can store this sauce in the refrigerator for about a week, or you can put it in smaller containers and freeze it. If you freeze, thaw before using it. I need about a cup and a half each time I use it in a recipe, and this batch will make enough to last you through at least 8 to 10 meals.
I've shared with you in the past recipes for other curry pastes like my Tikka Masala Curry Paste, Balti Sauce used to make a scrumptious Vegetable Balti, and my Easy Indian Curry Paste. If you love cooking Indian food, having one or a couple of these on hand can be a lifesaver on busy days or weeks, and you'll have everything you need on hand for a delicious, from-scratch meal.
You can make this recipe ahead when you're entertaining, and -- on the day of your event -- use it to prep a few dishes quickly. They won't all taste exactly the same, I promise. In fact, I'll show you how you can create completely different dishes using small variations and different veggies with this tomato onion base.
Let's get cooking with this basic Tomato and Onion Sauce for quick curries. I'll add the recipes I make using this sauce below. And stay tuned for more over the coming days.
Ingredients for Basic Tomato Onion Masala Sauce
- Onions. Red onions or shallots are preferable, but if you absolutely can't, a yellow onion is fine too.
- Tomatoes.
- Ginger garlic paste
- Coriander powder
- Cumin powder
- Paprika (nice for color, but you can leave it out)
- Cayenne (or any red pepper powder you prefer)
- Turmeric
- Vegetable oil. I use avocado oil because it's flavorless. Coconut is not okay because we are using this to mainly make north Indian recipes and the flavor would be a bit odd with coconut oil. Any flavorless oil like peanut or sunflower oil is okay.
How to make the Tomato Onion Masala Sauce
- Start by heating 2 tablespoon vegetable oil in the Instant Pot set to low saute function. Add 1 ½ pounds of the diced onions and ¼th cup of ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes until the onions start to soften. Add all of the remaining ingredients -- 1 ½ pounds diced tomatoes, ¼th cup coriander powder, 2 teaspoon cumin powder, 2 teaspoon cayenne and 2 tablespoon paprika (if using) -- and give it all a good stir. I don't add salt to this sauce because you will add in salt later when you make your recipes using it.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set to pressure cook for 10 minutes. You don't need to add any water-- the moisture in the tomatoes will be enough.
- If you are cooking this in a pressure cooker that goes on a stovetop, follow instructions above and then let the tomatoes and onions cook for six "whistles" or for 10 minutes after maximum pressure has been reached (set heat to medium-low at this point).
- If making this on a stovetop, again follow steps one and two, and then cover and cook over medium-low, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 30-45 minutes until the sauce has darkened and is very thick.
- You can store the sauce in mason jars or any containers with airtight lids for up to a week in the refrigerator, or for several months in the freezer.
- The onions and tomatoes in this sauce are cooked thoroughly, so you don't need to blend it for smooth gravies -- they just melt into it. But if you absolutely want to, you can run an immersion blender through the sauce to break down the tomatoes and onions into a paste.
Recipes with the basic tomato onion sauce
- Instant Chana Masala
- Vegan Methi Malai Paneer Tofu
- Easy Aloo Palak (Spinach Potato Curry)
- 10-minute Vegan Dal
- Easy Aloo Matar
- Easy Vegan Chick'n Curry with Potatoes and Coconut Milk
- Sarson ka Saag, a North Indian Mustard Greens Curry
- Instant Pot Masoor Dal
- Bhindi Masala
Basic tomato onion masala sauce recipe:
Basic Tomato Onion Masala Sauce for Quick Curries
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (about seven or eight medium) red onions (very finely diced)
- 1 ½ pounds (about eight) ripe tomatoes (very finely diced)
- ¼ cup ginger garlic paste
- ¼ cup coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 tablespoon paprika (optional but adds nice color)
- 2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Add the oil in the Instant Pot set to low saute function. Add the onions and ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the remaining ingredients and give it all a good stir.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set to pressure cook for 10 minutes. You don't need to add any water-- the moisture in the tomatoes will be enough.
- If you are cooking this in a pressure cooker that goes on a stovetop, follow instructions above and then let the tomatoes and onions cook for six "whistles" or for 10 minutes after maximum pressure has been reached (set heat to medium-low at this point).
- If making this on a stovetop, again follow steps one and two, and then cover and cook over medium-low, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for 30-45 minutes until the sauce has darkened and is very thick.
- You can store the sauce in mason jars or any containers with airtight lids for up to a week in the refrigerator, or for several months in the freezer.
Recipe notes
- If you're anything like me, you'll likely be crying your way through chopping the onions. To avoid that, chop the onions in half, put them in a bowl, and leave them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before I chop them. This reduces any tearing to a minimum.
- You can store this sauce in the refrigerator for about a week, or you can put it in smaller containers and freeze it. If you freeze, thaw before using it. I need about a cup and a half each time I use it in a recipe, and this batch will make enough to last you through at least 8 to 10 meals.
- I've shared with you in the past recipes for other curry pastes like my Tikka Masala Curry Paste, my Balti Sauce and my Easy Curry Paste. If you love cooking Indian food, having one or a couple of these on hand can be a lifesaver on busy days or weeks, and you'll have everything you need on hand for a delicious, from-scratch meal.
Teresa
Thank you for your recipe. In the blog portion, you mention turmeric. I do not see that in the ingredients. Was this a mistake or should I be adding that? Thanks!
Vaishali
Hi Teresa, it's 1 tsp turmeric--thanks for pointing out the omission!
james barclay
Can you substitute canned tomatoes?
Vaishali
Yes, that’s fine!
Sarah
This sounds so delicious & convenient! One amazing trick when cutting onions is to cut them near the kitchen vent/fan on high. It will suck away all the onion fumes. My eyes would water horribly before I learned this trick from my dad (who thought of it probably the first time he ever cut onions, LOL!).
Debi
Recipe looks delish, definitely will try it to speed up prep time. Do you think this could be pressure canned like spaghetti sauce?
Kathrine
HI Vaishali
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. For years I have been trying to master Indian food but was always disappointed with the results until now. This chana masala is so full of flavour, and easy to prepare. I especially like that the ingredient list is short but it produces such intense flavour. May I ask what kind of paprika you use for the recipe?. I have hot Hungarian paprika, sweet Spanish paprika and smoked paprika. Would you suggest any of these or is there an Indian inspired paprika that I should use?
Vaishali
Hi Kathrine, of those three I would go with the Spanish paprika for the closest results, unless you want something really spicy. The smoked paprika would add too strong a flavor. I usually just buy the jar labeled "Paprika" and nothing more. 🙂 If you want an Indian-style paprika, you could go with Kashmiri chili powder, sold at Indian stores and online, which is mild and is supposed to add good color, although I've found that many of the brands sold here in the U.S. don't actually seem to produce that wonderful color.
K A Jagannathan
Good recipe. Why salt is missing from your recipe?
Vaishali
You can add the salt when you are using it in a recipe.
Mary G
What is the best way to combine this sauce with chicken? Should I just sautee it all together?
Kathy Michaels
I make an East Indian pizza. I use cubed tandori chicken, the onion tomato sauce and Naan bread. My husband loved it.
Vaishali
Such a terrific idea!
Paul
Can this be made with tomato puree in a pinch?
Vaishali
Absolutely!
Vanessa
If I wanted to add salt to the sauce, how much should I add?
Vaishali
I'd add about a teaspoon to the entire recipe, and adjust with more salt as needed for each recipe.
Lisa
I just made this using the last of my garden tomatoes and was really looking forward to trying it, but I find it quite bitter. Is the amount of ground coriander (1/4 cup) correct? I looked at your recipe for best chana masala, and it seems there would be far less coriander. Thanks.
Vaishali
The masala sauce is meant to last you through multiple recipes, that's why you use more coriander. In any case coriander won't make the sauce bitter. Some tomatoes can have a bitter flavor, so that might be the culprit.
Supriya Kutty
This seems so tasty and yummy and I think this will blend with all recipes and this will also be easy to prepare and would taste good as well, my mother is going to love this for sure, as she is big-time fan of tomato and onion I am Sure she will love, will also share it with my friends as well.
Barbara
Can this be frozen :o)
Vaishali
Yea absolutely! In an airtight jar or bag, and thaw before adding to recipe.
stephanie
could I use tinned plum tomatoes instead of fresh?
Vaishali
Yes, make sure you use the juice too!
Annie
Hi
When you say a bulb of garlic you mean the entire head of garlic and not just a clove?(sorry if this is a silly question, I don’t cook much). Thanks!
Vaishali
Yes, a whole head of garlic! Not a silly question at all -- I'll clarify in the instructions as well. 🙂
Nancy
Hi, What are red onions? I've heard of purple onions but not red ones! thanks!
Vaishali
They're one and the same, but red onions is more commonly used.
Maxime Valois
Hello, I was wondering, do you keep the chick peas water for this recipe? I made it, it was very tasty, but I had to put some coco milk cause I didn't put the chick peas water in the recipe.
Thanks.
Max
Vaishali
No you shouldn't put any chickpea cooking water in the basic sauce. Nor should you add coconut milk. Those variations can be made when you are actually cooking a recipe using the sauce. Like you can add the cooking water from chickpeas when you make Chana masala using this sauce.
Lallie Pillay
Dear Vaishali
Thank you for sharing your yummy recipes
Easy to follow n beautiful use of spices
Sarah
I do like the look of this and I’d like to try it. I am in the uk and our local shops won’t have the paste, but I do always have fresh garlic and ginger, what quantity do you think I would need instead? Thank you, Sarah
Vaishali
Approximately a 2-inch piece of ginger and a bulb of garlic should be enough!
Kathy
Most of the large UK supermarkets carry the paste in the World Food aisle now - either KTC or TRS brand.
Vaishali
Vine tomatoes are the most suitable!
Aracelis
What are the best tomatoes for this receipe?
Lizzie
Could I add cashews to this recipe to include cashew paste in the sauce? If so, how many cashews and would I need to soak them in water first? After cooking am planning to blend it all to make a smooth sauce. Thanks!