Indian basic curry paste made from scratch, and oh-so-delicious. Here is the easiest curry paste recipe.
Indian Curry Paste:
Indian curry paste has many variations. But the base paste almost always contains onion, tomato, and ginger-garlic paste.
The spices often used in this are turmeric powder, ground cumin and coriander, red chili or cayenne pepper powder and garam masala.
Don't forget to season with salt, and allow the mixture to cook until thick, well-browned and semi-dry.
The best way to know if the paste is done is by checking if oil oozes out of the mixture or if the mixture becomes lumpy mass and leaves the pan easily.
How to Make Curry Paste?
Here is the curry paste recipe or the base paste recipe for all Indian curries.
To make the Indian curry paste, you will need these ingredients:
Onion paste, tomato puree(freshly made), ginger and garlic paste, and spices- turmeric, ground cumin and coriander, garam masala, and salt.
Heat your pan.
Add oil and add the onion with ginger-garlic paste once the oil gets warm but not hot.
Allow the onion paste to cook thoroughly and brown really well. (This may take 8-10 minutes on low heat)
At this point, add tomato puree and cook the mixture well.
Once the mixture thickens and oil leaves the pan, add all the spices and salt.
The trick to have the best and good quality Indian basic curry paste is by:
browning the onion and tomato pastes really well.
When you cook the onion and ginger, garlic mixture, it should brown very well before you add spices and tomatoes.
For oil-free, cook in low so that onions naturally brown as they cook in aquafaba or little hot water.
If this curry paste is so simple, then why I am posting a recipe article on it? The truth is many people often ignore the fact that curry paste can be made in advance and stored in refrigerator, which will in turn save a ton of time. And my curry paste can be easily stored in refrigerator for a week or more. And the best part is that you can whip up a quick curry, use the paste as a marinade or use it as a base for many gravies, soups and sauces.
Love vindaloo, add all essential ingredients to this Indian basic curry paste and you are done. Or looking for a gravy base for saag paneer? Just add two to four tablespoons of this curry paste, blanched spinach paste and paneer and bring it to a boil. Your scrumptious saag paneer is ready to serve.
My busy life with two children sometimes leave me crazily tired and lethargic. This Indian BasicCurry paste certainly saves my life. Just cut some veggies or even use frozen veggies, add curry paste and make patties or add a spoon of curry paste to lentils and a lentil curry soup is ready. The truth is that you can really get creative with this curry paste and make many many beautiful and yummy dishes in a jiffy.
Making curry paste, as I mentioned before, is really easy. Here is my step-by-step guide.
Indian Basic Curry Paste Recipe:
Step 1: In a food processor, add onion, garlic, ginger and green chili. Process to make a coarse paste.
Step 2:
In a frying pan, add oil and allow it to warm.
Add onion, ginger garlic and green chili mixture and cook it for few minutes.
Once the onion starts to lose water, add salt.
It allows the onion to cook even faster by losing more water.
Step 3:
Brown the mixture well on low flame, and cook until the mixture starts to ooze oil, and the mixturestarts to leave the pan.
Keep stirring occasionally by scraping the mixture from the sides of the pan.
At this point, the mixture becomes a thick with a pasty consistency.
This is the time to add spices.
Add all the spices and give a good stir, so the spices incorporate well.
Now you have two choices.
You can turn the heat off and keep this mixture as your base curry mixture or add tomatoes and cook it further.
Because some curry recipes don't include tomatoes, I prefer keeping half of this basic curry paste without adding tomatoes and then cook the rest half with tomatoes.
Step 4:
After keeping half of this mixture, I add chopped or pureed tomatoes, and allow it to cook until the mixture dries up and has a pasty consistency.
Once it reaches the desirable consistency, the curry paste is ready.
Allow it to cool down completely and store it in refrigerator for a week or two.
Storing Suggestions for Indian Curry Paste:
Store in an airtight glass or BPA-free plastic container.
Use a clean spoon every time you want to use the curry paste.
Don't add fresh herbs such as chopped cilantro to this paste while storing. Instead, add it to the end curry after cooking.
Making Other Pastes with basic Indian Curry Paste:
Red curry paste: onion curry base paste+galangal+kefir lime+dried lemon grass+Thai red chili+vinegar and tamarind+brown sugar
Korma paste: Indian curry paste+coconut cream+cashew paste+ garam masala
Tikka masala: Indian basic curry paste+tomato and cashew puree
Yellow curry paste:basic curry paste+turmeric+tamarind+green chili and Thai basil+kefir lime and dried lemongrass
For more curry inspiration: Pineapple Curry from Lathiya’s Kitchen HERE
Nutrition Facts Homemade Curry Paste:
I use two table spoons to ¼ cup of this Indian basic curry paste per recipe based on the requirement. Here is a serving size of two tablespoons for making curry for two.
Want to know how many ounces, spoons and grans in a cup? Here is a detailed cups to oz calculator and downloadable chart. And, a liquid conversion chart with ounce to gallon calculator.
📖 Recipe
Easy Indian Basic Curry Paste
Indian basic curry paste, the heart and soul of any Indian curry is really easy to make. And you can store it for a week in refrigerator or freeze it for months!
1tablespoonchili powder, (hot or extra-hot variety)
1.5tablespooncumin powder
0.5tablespoonturmeric powder
1tablespooncoriander powder
1tablespooncurry powder, (optional)
2tablespooncanola oil, (more if you want)
Instructions
Prep the paste
In a food processor, take onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
Cook the paste
Heat a frying pan, add oil and allow it to warm.
Add onion, ginger garlic and green chili mixture and cook it for few minutes.
Once the onion starts to lose water, add salt. It allows the onion to cook faster by losing more water.
Brown the mixture well on low flame, and cook until the mixture starts to ooze oil and the mixture starts to leave the pan.
At this point, the mixture becomes semi-dry and leaves the pan easily.
Add spices
This is the time to add spices. Add all the spices and give a good stir, so the spices incorporate well in the mixture.
Now you have two choices. You can turn the heat off and keep this mixture as your base curry mixture or add tomatoes and cook it further.
Because some curry recipes don't include tomatoes, I prefer keeping half curry paste without tomatoes and half with it.
After keeping half of this mixture, I add chopped or puréed tomatoes, and allow it to cook until the mixture dries up and has a pasty consistency.
Once it reaches a thick and pasty consistency, the curry paste is ready.
Store
Allow it to cool down completely and store it in refrigerator for a week or two.
Instant Pot Method
Set the instant pot to the saute mode. Let it heat till the "Hot" sign appears on the IP display. Add oil and let it heat.
There is a little difference in this Instant pot method than the traditional curry paste making method mentioned above. Instead of adding onions first, we will add everything all at once.
Add onion, ginger and garlic mixure, followed by tomato puree, all spices and salt. Give a good mix and saute for about 2 minutes. (Till the mixture loses some moisture)
Now change the cooking method to pressure cook and set the time for 3 minutes.
Close the lid and seal the vent.
Once the cooking time is up, wait for the NPR.
After the natural pressure release, stir the mixture well.
Now press the saute button again and cook the mixture further till the mixture looks thick and paste-like consistency.
The curry paste is ready. Store it in an air-tight glass jar for two weeks or freeze it for a month.
What is Red Curry Paste and Yellow Curry Paste made out of?
The Red Curry paste and Yellow Curry paste are made from Thai chilies, galangal, kefir lime, Oriental sauces and fresh herbs. In contrast, Indian red curry paste has the same onion-tomato base with more Kashmiri chili powder whereas, the Indian yellow curry paste has either coconut milk or cream with turmeric and curry powder for that vibrant yellow hue.
Can I use Curry powder instead of Curry paste?
Curry powder is a spice blend(link here) whereas curry paste is the base gravy or curry sauce base. If you want to use curry powder as a base of your curry, make a paste out of ginger-garlic, tomato puree and curry powder and cook it in oil for the Indian curry.
How do you store curry paste?
Store curry paste in an air-tight container for a week or freeze it in a glass jar for a month.
What is curry powder, curry paste and curry made of?
Curry powder is a spice mixture(find recipe here) whereas curry paste is the base of a curry. It acts as the main flavoring agent, thickener and as the base sauce of a curry.
How do you thicken Indian Curry?
With a curry paste base sauce, you really don’t need a thickener(like yogurt, nut paste or coconut milk) to thicken the gravy. However, if you curry is super thin for some reason, add nut paste, dairy or non-dairy cream, and coconut milk to thicken the curry.
Now that you know how to make the Indian basic curry paste, you can make it any time you want. And share the name of your favorite curry in the comments. I really appreciate your feedback. Don't forget to check my next post that will show you how to use this curry paste in making some awesome grill marinades.
It features many of the same spices, such as turmeric, coriander, chili powder, and cumin, then adds in oil, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (or Thai ginger) and some chilies, the latter being the ingredient that gives curry paste its distinct color and flavor.
Simply mix the curry paste with a little oil, brush it onto the meat, and let it sit before cooking. The paste will add flavor and help to tenderize the meat as it cooks.
Indian curry often utilizes dairy, such using yogurt sauce to marinate meats. In Southern India, coconut milk is a commonly used component, rather than dairy. Common ingredients within Indian curries include lentils, chicken, and chickpeas, and they often have a thicker consistency than Thai curries.
Garam masala is a traditional Indian mix whereas curry powder is a blanket term British colonists used to describe all the spices found in Indian cuisine: it is often hotter, earthier and less aromatic.
Probably the most common use for Thai curry paste is in curries and stews. Cook the curry paste in a little oil first to bring out its flavors, then coat proteins — like chicken, pork, or tofu — and vegetables with the warmed paste before slow cooking until everything is flavorful and tender.
You want to be able to control the spiciness of your curry paste. This is one problem with store bought - if it's too spicy, the only thing you can do is to use less; but that also means weaker flavours. Making your own is a great way to make it as mild as you can tolerate.
If you want to delve into the blend of spices that make up curry blends, you'll need turmeric, ginger, mustard, cumin, and black pepper. Depending on the use or flavor you're looking for, the seasoning might include garlic, cinnamon, coriander, fenugreek, and more.
The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.
A curry mix has a warm, robust spicy taste as a result of combining roasted and grounded coriander seeds, turmeric, cumin and chili peppers. Other spices commonly found within the blend are fenugreek, clove, mustard, black pepper, nutmeg or ginger.
This Indian spice is what people say "smells like curry." Of all Indian spices, this spice may be the most essential. You may use up to a few tablespoons in a family size dish near the end of the cooking process, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds also have many health benefits.
Fixing cooked curries and gravies is no less than a challenge, but a simple way to do so is by adding freshly chopped herbs like coriander, basil, fenugreek leaves, spinach, mint leaves. The fresh flavour of these herbs can instantly elevate the taste and texture and give them a health twist.
What is Curry Sauce? It is a puree of sauteed and simmered masala made with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, sometimes carrots and plenty of spices. Some times even the stalks of coriander is added. The method to make this is same everywhere but the vegetables used vary depending on the availability and season.
Spiciness: Thai red curry paste is generally spicier than Indian red curry paste. This is because Thai red curry paste typically contains more chili peppers, while Indian red curry paste relies more on other spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric.
As a general rule of thumb substitute 1 teaspoon curry powder for 1 tablespoon curry paste. If you prefer milder curries, start with less and add to taste. It's easy to add more but difficult to fix a curry that's too hot!
One study found that people who eat more curry powder are less likely to have high blood pressure. Another study found that having curry powder in a meal improves circulation immediately after the meal. The turmeric commonly found in curry powder also helps lower cholesterol, which makes heart disease less likely.
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