This Bhuna Masala or Everyday Indian Curry Paste is prepared using tomatoes, onions and lots of Indian spices! It is the base for most north and south Indian curries and is perfect for when you want to ace that curry in a hurry!
It's the mother of all curry bases and exactly what you need when you want curry in a hurry. Bhuna masala is the perfect everyday Indian curry paste and I for one can't do without it! It's a lifesaver for so many reasons:
- Perfect base for most Indian curries
- Can be used for north Indian as well as south Indian dishes with some add-ons and minor tweaking
- Stays good in the refrigerator for up to a week
- Freezes really well
These days it's pretty easy to buy it off the shelf. But preservatives. And when it's so easy to make your own and store, why buy when you can DIY. You see I'm all about the rhyming today.
It's a concentrated paste with the goodness of ginger, garlic, green chilies, onions, tomatoes and wonderful Indian spices. Most curries in India start with bhuna masala.
I realised that I ended up making this every time I was making Indian curries. And I smartened up. Figured that I could make a larger batch and just leave it in the fridge for a week's worth of curries/ dals or freeze it for later. Perfect time saving trick.
Tell me you are as busy as I am? With no time to shower even. Okay that's just me. But busy or not, this is arsenal. For the best curries ever.
How many cups does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 8 cups of bhuna masala. While it may seem like a small amount, it is actually sufficient for sixteen mealtimes for a family of four. How cool is that?
How to store Bhuna Masala?
Here's how I store this - I have small glass containers which can store ยฝ cup of Bhuna Masala each. That's exactly what I need when I'm making dinner for four. Plus I can just put the lid on and dump these in the freezer for later. So win win.
It stays good for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator but when frozen, it can last at least two months. You can even directly add frozen bhuna masala straight into the pan. It makes things so much easier when they are portioned and ready to go!
How to use Bhuna Masala?
My rule of thumb is ยฝ cup of bhuna masala makes the perfect gravy for four people. It has the right amount of masala flavour in it, regardless of the protein, veggies or dal I add to the gravy. Once you make it for yourself, you can figure out whatโs good for you, in terms of spices, flavour, texture and consistency.
I suggest you test one portion of curry that would suit your or your familyโs needs. You can rely on that as a rule of thumb for every time you use this!
- When making a chicken or prawn curry, you can use ยฝ cup of bhuna masala to go with 100 grams of chicken or prawn
- If you're making a mushroom curry (like our Mushroom Masala), 2 ยฝ cups of mushroom can be used with ยฝ cup of bhuna masala directly in the recipe. Start with the tempering step, add more spices and then you can skip the addition of onion, tomato as shown in the recipe. Instead add the bhuna masala and continue from the kasuri methi step. As simple as that!
- If you're making a mixed vegetable curry like a vegetable kadai masala then 1 ยฝ cup of mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, potato etc) can be used with ยฝ cup of bhuna masalaย
- For something like a Matar Paneer use 250 grams of paneer and ยพ cup of green peas along with ยฝ cup of bhuna masala. You can straight up follow the recipe directly from the hung curd step!
- For a gravy with rajma or chana, use 1 cup of cooked chana along with ยฝ cup + 2 tablespoons of bhuna masala. Add cream in the end for a creamier result!
Add ons:
- Add a little more ginger and garlic each while preparing the curry. The fresh ginger and garlic give it an extra kick. Keep in mind, our masala already has a strong flavour of ginger and garlic, this little extra is for hardcore fans like me.
- A tempering of 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds in the beginning is also a good addition
- For South Indian curries, a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves is ideal. Prepare this tempering before adding the masala.
- Add additional green chillies or crushed black peppercorns while sautรฉing the bhuna masala for a spicy curry. Alternatively, you can also add red chilli powder.
- Adding ยฝ teaspoon of garam masala in the end while preparing a curry will make it more aromatic and flavourful.
- Similarly, adding a pinch of hing in the beginning will give it that extra kick of umami
- Add coconut milk with your veggies or protein for a creamy korma like flavour. You can even add cream or hung curd for a smooth texture.
Serve this with Rotis, Jeera Rice, Parathas, etc.
If you are trying this out, tag your photosย @my_foodstoryย or use #myfoodstories and share some curry love with me on Instagram
This recipes makes approximately 8 cups, and you can easily halve or double this recipe.
Watch how to make Bhuna Masala Recipe Video
Bhuna Masala or Everyday Indian Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Oilโ
- 1 tablespoon Ghee optionalโ
- 1 tablespoon Jeera or Cumin Seedsโ
- 750 grams Red Onionsโ peeled and cut into four parts
- 50 grams Garlicโ peeled cloves
- 50 grams Gingerโ peeled and roughly chopped
- 4-5 Green Chillies or Serrano Peppers adjust to taste
- 1 kg Tomatoesโ cut into four parts
- 1 tablespoon Chilli Powderโ
- ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric Powderโ
- 2 tablespoons Coriander Powderโ
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powderโ
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masalaโ
- 1 teaspoon Saltโ
Instructions
- To prep the veggies, add onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies to a food processor or mixer grinder, and chop till it resembles a coarse chop. Remove this mixture in a bowl, and add tomatoes and grind them to puree.
- In a large pan or kadhai, heat oil and ghee and add cumin seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering add onions mixture.
- Cook stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes till the onion mixture turns brownish in colour and oil separates from the sides (as shown in the video above).
- Add tomato puree, salt and all the remaining spices and cook on high heat while stirring continuously for two minutes. Reduce the flame and cook for another 15-20 minutes with the lid on, till the mixture reduces a little, and you can see oil start to appear on top.
- Use this as a base for curries and stir fries. To store for later, cool completely before transferring into ziplock bags or freezer friendly food safe storage containers.
- Bhuna Masala stays in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Notes
- Prepping Veggies: You can alternatively chop the veggies finely instead of using the food processor
- Refrigeration: Bhuna Masala can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Freezing: Bhuna Masala can be frozen for up to 3 months
- Storage: I prefer storing ยฝ cup bhuna masala in small jars and then freezing them. This way I only have to thaw the required amount every time I want to use it
Khushi says
Hi. Im new to cooking on my own. How would I use this paste. Can you share a recipe using this paste. God bless.
Christian McCulloch says
The recipe is posted in the article above.
Bongeka says
Hi
Brilliant idea! I just have one question. How much past will I need to make curry for a family of 6.
Thank you,
Bongeka
Richa says
I'm sorry I didn't understand what you mean by 'how much past'
Luqman Musa says
She means 'how much paste?'
kwik Samosa says
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Stephen says
I made a triple batch instead of freezing portions I pressure canned it one and two cup jars.
Richa Gupta says
Perfect! So you can reach for the curry paste jar whenever you need! Good one, Stephen!
Fatima says
This is such a brilliant idea. Perfect for busy people or parents with young children. It also means you don't have to stink up the house every time. I made some to freeze during Ramadan the month of fasting so I don't have to spend time in the kitchen.
All Richa's recipes and videos are amazing.
Richa says
Thank you so so much Fatima! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Carmen says
Great base for various types of curry. Iโve added diced tomatoes and other spices for a slow cooked beef or pork curry and another time tried with coconut milk for a creamy chickpea curry. Also freezes very well!
Richa says
Thank you so so much Carmen! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Meghna says
Made this over the weekend and stored it in 7 jars. I just feel like such a load off my back. Already used one jar to make an egg curry. Best part was that all I had to do was boil the eggs, heat the masala for a minute or two on the pan and add the coconut milk and boiled eggs at the end. Nothing else! No washing vegetables, no chopping, no cooking the veggies -- it was already done! Phew!
Richa says
That's the perfect way to use it! I'm really glad you liked it Meghna
Nidhi Garg says
perfect receipe... I have some questions: 1. for how many days I can freeze it and use it? 2. what kind of container you will suggest for freezing and storing?
Thanks in advance.
Richa says
Hey Nidhi. This can be frozen up to 3 months in advance. I would recommend buying small glass jars and storing them in half cup quantities, so that you only thaw the amount you need for one time use.
Nana says
Hi, I am planning on trying this recipe soon cos my job doesn't leave me much time to cook. I see that you mention using dal/lentils with the bhuna gravy, Do you have any recipes or suggestions on how exactly to use lentils with the gravy? I am not sure how the masala would suit a lentil dish like dal fry or dal makhani. Thanks so much.
Richa says
Hey Nana, I would use 1/4 cup bhuna masala (gravy) for ever cup of cooked lentils. You can cook the masala with a bit of oil to reheat it and add the cooked lentils along with salt and some chopped cilantro.
Kartik says
I really liked the idea of this paste...
I am going to make it as well.
I wanted to know whether making it without salt and spices is better or with as it want to make a base which can refrigerateso can you please help me understanding whether adding salt and spices will affect the shelf life
Richa says
Hey Kartik - I would recommend adding the spices while making the paste. This will help you do less work when you are actually using it later. The salt will not affect the shelf life as much so you can choose to keep it or skip it.
Rob H says
Hi Richa,
I tried making this and doubling the ingredients to make 2x the batch size. The onion was far too over-powering and we had to play around adding extra tomatoes and spices to neutralise the flavours. Nice recipe though, i just wont use 12 onions next time!!
Richa says
Thanks for the feedback Rob. The thing is this is more like a concentrate that you can use as a curry paste for other recipes. So when you actually use 1/4 cup of this paste for example in other recipes then it all balances out
Richa Gupta says
Hey Priti, it won't because this is just a base. I end up adding more ingredients to it to make every curry taste different. For example, adding pureed palak, paneer and some cream makes a very good palak paneer. Adding rajma and more tomatoes make a nice rajma masala. Or adding chicken, potatoes a few more spices makes for a quick chicken curry. You can get as creative as you want. Add cashew paste, kasuri methi, cream, yogurt etc and any other spices you like to this base.
Priti Pradhan says
this is a cool idea but wont all curry have the same taste....
Richa Gupta says
Dolphia, it thaws pretty well and since you'll be cooking it again when you use it, it works. I just leave it out on the counter for an hour or so. You could try the defrost mode in the microwave but I've never tried that. The thing is, you don't use this as is. You'd use this as a base to cook with, which is why it won't taste watery.
Dolphia Nandi-Arnstein says
Richa, the photos are gorgeous, but I do have some questions as I am planning to freeze this bhuna masala for myself. 1. Does it thaw well? How do you thaw it? 2. Won't it taste watery after you thaw them? Keep me posted darling and it's a brilliant idea for busy bees like us.