In Indian cuisine just like in Puertorrican cuisine (sofrito), there is a base sauce that is added to many of their dishes. This sauce is called tomato onion masala and it is a combination of onion, tomatoes, garlic and spices. There is an advantage to preparing this sauce ahead of time and freezing it because it takes time to cook, specially if you don’t have an Instant Pot. Once the sauce if prepared I pour it into silicon ice tray that hold 2 ounces approximately. This masala will last for months frozen.
For this recipe you can use canned or fresh tomatoes. If you use fresh tomatoes, the best tomatoes are Roma tomatoes because they have less water making the masala thicker. When using any other tomatoes make sure to cook the sauce longer for the excess liquid to evaporate. If you end up using canned tomatoes make sure to drain the liquid.
- 1 lb. 2 oz. Spanish onions diced
- 1 lb. 7 oz. Roma tomatoes skin on, seeded and diced
- 1½ oz. garlic clove crushed
- ¼ oz. ginger shredded
- ¼ cup safflower or grapeseed oil
- 1½ teaspoon coriander whole
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt (add more if needed)
- Toast the whole coriander and cumin seeds until they are fragrant.
- Ground them in a mortar and pestle set aside.
- Dice the onions or use a food processor. If using a food processor pulse 4-5 times or until the onion is in small pieces making sure not to generate too much liquid. Do it in batches.
- Dice the tomatoes or use a food processor.
- In a deep cooking pot heat the oil at medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until brown (more than transluscent), mixing often. For this amount of onions approximately 20 minutes.
- Add the shredded ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes.
- Add the spices grounded in the mortar and the other spices.
- Simmer the sauce low-medium temperature for 30 minutes or until the sauce becomes thicker.
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