Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken Masala Starter
Most of us are looking for ways to stream line and short cut our daily cooking routine. In addition, I am also checking out freezer friendly options. Both of these come together in a very easy and simple tikka masala or butter chicken base. Now before you tell me that these two are not quite the same, let me tell you, there are worse things that are done in the name of both these dishes. This basic sauce gets you a flavorful start that you can customize further.
My Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken Masala Story
Honestly, we are smack into holiday season, I find myself somehow doing a lot of potlucks this year. Depending on things, folks always expect something Indian from me, and these crowd pleaser more often than not fits the bill. Given that I have fewer eaters, make that a singular in my household, I wanted something a little more streamlined, so that I am not making large batches of something. And then genius struck and I came up with this recipe. The concept is not new, I have a baseline recipe for a curry masala here. Of course, there are lots commercial varieties, some even pretty good. But, this one is relatively simple in its flavors to allow for some customization. Instant Pot fans, I have an instant pot version in my cookbook.
And speaking of holidays, if you are thinking of an even quicker version for my leftover turkey curry, this tikka masala base has you covered.
A few things about this recipe,
- It is made fairly thick, this way it can be thinned down some to adapt to your favorite recipe.
- It does not use a lot of cream, keeping it freezer friendly, in fact, I use half and half.
- I use an immersion blender, and honestly if you use tomato puree for the recipe you can skip blending. True it will be a little more rustic than what you might find in a restaurant.
So without much fuss, here is the recipe.
A simple, practical and flavorful base for Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped red onions (about 2 mediums sized)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 cups of canned tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons tandoori masala
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet and add in the onions and sauté for five to six minutes until the onions are fragrant and a pale toffee color.
- Add in the garlic and the ginger and sauté for another five to six minutes stirring frequently for the last three minutes.
- Add in the tomato puree, tandoori masala and the salt. Cook this on medium heat for at least fifteen minutes to allow the mixture to thicken and develop an almost jammy consistency.
- Stir in the sugar and the half and half and puree the mixture using either an immersion blender or a regular blender.
- Mix in the kasuri methi and use as needed.