Masala Gravy - Indian Base Sauce

One of the challenges with Indian cuisine is the prep. However, with some planning, you can have amazing homemade Indian food, without too much work.

You can easily take this recipe and make it times four, to have masala paste or gravy left over. It stores well in the fridge or you can freeze it as well.

Note: A dedicated coffee grinder for spices is essential. I've had a Krups for 20 years.

Ingredients

Group 1

2 Tbsp. Coriander Seeds

2 Tbsp. Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp. Black Peppercorns

1 tsp Cloves

2 Bay Leaves

1 Onion, chopped

4 inch piece of Ginger, peeled

3 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp Salt

4 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp. Black Mustard seeds

6 fresh Curry Leaves

Group 2

1 Tbsp. Turmeric, ground

2 tsp Fenugreek, ground

1 tsp Cardamom, ground

1 tsp Cinnamon, ground

2 tsp Cayenne Pepper, ground

1 14.5 oz can of crushed or chopped Tomatoes

Roast all whole spices from first group in 350F oven until just starting to omit fragrance. About 4-5 minutes max. Remove and set aside to cool.

In a small food processor or mortar and pestle, grind/pound the onion, ginger, garlic and salt into a puree.

Heat 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil in pan, and add black mustard seeds and cook covered until they pop open. Then add in fresh curry leaves and sauté until they slightly brown.

Add the onion puree mixture and continue gently cooking until mixture is soft and very slightly browned.

While the onion puree mixture is sautéing, grind all of the roasted whole spices into a fine powder. Add in the second group of ground spices and then add all to the onion puree mixture and gently sauté. Do not let it burn. If it seems dry, add a little water.

Add in your tomatoes and you now have a masala gravy that can be used to create a multitude of different dishes. You can add any meat, seafood, or as I do, sweet potatoes, potatoes, okra or paneer.

Comments

Norfolk Style Seafood

This is such a good recipe and so simple to make. The story behind this recipe is interesting. When I was a young boy, we used to go to a seafood restaurant in Washington DC called O'Donnell's. They had wonderful food, and most importantly, they had Buck.

Buck was a gentle giant at 6' 2" and was always talking to me about his recipe. He had invented this style of cooking seafood and had even developed special pans which could be used over open flame and then it could be delivered to the tables still sizzling. He was rightfully very proud of this.

After being there quite a few times, Buck shared his recipe with me and told me to keep it a secret. Since this was over 40 years ago, I guess I can reveal it now.

Ingredients

1/2 lb Shrimp, Jumbo Lump Crab or Langoustines, raw and shelled
2 Tbsp Butter
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
Dash of Old Bay Seasoning
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Few dashes of Tabasco
Splash of White Wine
Salt and Black Pepper

Heat your pan until fairly hot, then add butter an…

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This has to be one of the easiest and best tasting recipes I have. I developed it so I could always pull together a healthy dinner in a few minutes and then have beautiful cold salmon leftovers for the next day.

All you need is a nice piece of fresh salmon and a few basic spices. The real key is to get the oven very hot, so it sears the outside of the salmon and locks in the juices.

Ingredients

2 lb filet of Fresh Salmon, skin on is best, but not essential.
Celery Salt
Dill Weed
Roasted Garlic Powder
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Butter
Parchment Paper

Preheat your oven to 550F. Take your parchment paper and put it onto a 1/2 sheet baking pan and lay your salmon onto the paper.

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Note: All of these spices can be…

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