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The Secrets of Indian Cooking: Master Masala Sauce

Writer
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
40MIN
Cuisine

Ingredients

Ghee: 2 tbsp

Oil: 7 tbsp

Cinnamon sticks: 3 cm, or cassia bark

Bay: 3

Black cardamom: 2

Green cardamom: 4

Cloves: 4

Cumin seeds: 1 tbs

Onion: 500 g, diced in a processor

Salt: 1 tsp

Garlic: 3

Ginger: 4 cms, cut into rough chunks

Chili pepper: 2-3

Tomato puree: 150ml

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Paprika: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: ½ tsp

Coriander powder: 1 ½ tsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Salt: ½ tsp or according to taste

Coriander: 8-10 stems, chopped

This Master Masala sauce recipe is a spice-packed base that everyone should know how to prepare – properly. It's a delicious starter sauce that can be used for many different types of Indian dishes.

Bringing together a host of flavourful and aromatic ingredients, it's the foundation of many an authentic Indian dish, and the first Indian sauce people should learn to improve their Indian cooking.

From Monica: "I'd be the first person to tell you that Indian cuisine is incredibly diverse and all the dishes are unique and nuanced so learning how to master that may seem daunting and overwhelming at first. That being said, there are a whole host of tips and tricks to simplify the process and the "Master Masala" is just one of them. It's a perfectly balanced spiced base that forms the foundation from which to build a whole host of different dishes - hence why I like to call it the "Master Masala".

What is Masala? 

"The word "masala" actually translates as the word for "spice" but is also used to describe a sauce or the base of a dish. The techniques used in making this masala sauce can be transferred to other dishes too, so learning how to make this properly will help you to generally improve your Indian cooking." 

This recipe makes enough sauce for around 4 people. 

Method

01.

Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and oil in a pan. Crush 2 black and 4 green cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar while you are waiting for it to heat up. 

Ghee cardamom pods masala recipe
02.

Once oil and ghee are hot, add the crushed cardamom pods along with the remaining whole spices: a cinnamon stick or cassia bark, 3 bay leaves, 4 cloves, 1 tsp of cumin seed. Mix and toast the spices well and then add 500 grams of of diced onions,  with 1 tsp of salt and cook on medium heat.

Crushed cardamoms diced onions
03.

Now, place 3 garlic cloves, a 4 cm piece of ginger and 2 to 3 chillies in a food processor and grind into a coarse paste. Add this paste to the pan with your whole spices and onions. 

garlic chili ginger and onions masala recipe
04.

Continue to cook on medium/high heat for approx. 10 minutes or until the onions start to turn a golden-brown colour. If you ever feel like the base is catching, add a little water or you can add some more oil. Mix every 2-3 minutes and keep cooking until the colour has noticeably changed. 

Cooking masala recipe
05.

Once the ingredients in the pan have turned a golden-brown colour, add 150 ml of tomato passata. Mix well and then reduce the heat to low. 

tomato masala recipe
06.

Now add all of the spice powders: ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika or Kashmiri chili powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, 1 ½ tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala and ½ tsp salt - according to taste.  Mix the spices and salt well and add 8-10 stems of chopped, fresh coriander. Stir well and cook for 1 minute or until you see the oil beginning to seep out at the edges (this is an indication that the masala is cooked).

Taste your masala and feel free to tweak salt and chili levels according to preference. Remove the pan from the heat.

 

coriander spice powders Masala recipe
07.

If you are not using the masala immediately, allow to cool before storing in an airtight jar. Cover with neutral cooking oil if you would like to further prolong the shelf life and then refrigerate (it will keep up to a month this way). You can also portion this masala and place in the freezer (it will keep up to 6 months).

masala jar

Learn to make masala with Indian cooking expert, Monica Haldar. 

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