Name: Easy Indian Curry Paste Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons oil; 4 onions; 12 cloves garlic; 4 inch ginger; 1 green chili/jalapeno; 4 tomatoes; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons pepper; 2 teaspoons salt

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

An easy Indian curry paste recipe that’s a time-saver and made with simple ingredients. Learn how to cook 30-minute curries with this homemade Indian curry paste! Use it with anything– vegetables, fish, meat, paneer or even eggs to cook delicious curries.

Who doesn’t love curries? When you think of Indian food, the first thing that comes to your mind is the creamy delicious melt-in-your-mouth curry. Paneer butter masala, vegetable curry, butter chicken, fish curry, prawn curry, the list is never-ending.

are Indian curries difficult to cook?

The beautiful thing about curry is that each home cook and each restaurant in India has a different way of cooking a curry. Using different spices to get a variety of flavors yield curries that taste different each time you cook.

Don’t be intimidated by the complexity of flavors in Indian curries. Yes, there are curries that need a lot of ingredients and take much of your time in the kitchen. But there’s a way out when you’re desperately trying to bring dinner to the table as quickly as possible.

This recipe for curry paste is the perfect solution.

what curry can be made with the homemade curry paste?

This recipe for curry paste is a simplified version with mega flavors. Use this as a base and add ANYTHING you have on hand – fresh or frozen vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, paneer or tofu along with added flavorings and thickening agents which I will tell you in a minute.

So if you are new to curries, this is where you can start. And you’ll be amazed at how EASY it is to cook a variety of curries with this humble recipe for curry paste.

what goes in the Indian curry paste

ingredients for easy Indian curry paste recipe

Onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, oil, salt and pepper. There, you have the list of ingredients.

If you look at the ingredients, you might feel I haven’t given you the full recipe but my dear friends, that is all you need to make this delicious curry paste!

Did you make the 5-ingredient chicken curry? This curry paste can also be used instead of the 5 ingredients!

Love curry flavor? Try the chickpea curry soup or the quick and easy mutton/lamb curry.

how to make this easy curry paste

(Full, printable recipe at the end of the post)

Make a coarse paste with onions, ginger and garlic.

Saute the paste in oil. Once the paste is browned well, add tomato puree and the spices.

Saute until the paste becomes thick and oil oozes out. Let the paste cool down, and store in a clean, dry jar. This curry paste stays fresh for a week in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer.

It may keep longer, I didn’t have the chance to keep it longer than a month. TOO TEMPTING to see a jar of curry paste whenever you open the refrigerator.

That’s it, guys, you’re well on your way to becoming a curry queen/king!

easy Indian curry paste being sauteed in a pan — 1

the secret to an amazing curry paste recipe

The key to a great curry lies in the time you take to SAUTE the onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. The longer you saute on medium-low heat, the better it tastes.

You’ll love this curry paste recipe because

it simplifies the curry-cooking process.
it makes you look like a pro when you can cook a curry within 30 minutes when you have this curry paste sitting in your refrigerator.
keeps for a week so it’s perfect for MEAL PREP. You can have curry for dinner throughout the week!
Use this curry paste FOR ANYTHING from vegetable curry, chicken curry, fish curry, paneer butter masala, butter chicken, and so on.

closeup view of easy Indian curry paste in a jar

I’ve listed down the recipes you can cook with this curry paste in the table below. These curry recipes might be slightly different from the traditional ones, but the idea is to SIMPLIFY the recipes as much as possible with what you have, without compromising on flavors.

If you’ve tried this easy recipe for lentil curry (dahl) with spinach, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

7 recipes with curry paste

This recipe for curry paste makes 3 cups. 1 cup of the paste is enough for each of the curry recipes given below, for 4 servings.

CURRY	ADD IN	FLAVORING	THICKENING AGENT
mixed vegetable curry	any fresh/frozen chopped vegetables- 2 cups	garam masala- 1/2 teaspoon	cashew paste- 15 cashews + 1/4 cup water
vegetable korma	any fresh/frozen chopped vegetables- 2 cups	garam masala- 1/2 teaspoon	coconut cream- 1/2 cup
dal/lentil curry	yellow/brown/green lentils – 1 cup	mustard seeds + cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon each	none
chicken curry	boneless chicken 500 gms/ 1 lb chopped into bite-size pieces	garam masala- 1 teaspoon	cashew paste- 15 cashews + 1/4 cup water
fish curry	any white fish fillet, sliced 500 gms/ 1 lb	curry leaves + mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon	tamarind paste 2 tablespoons
egg curry	boiled and halved eggs 8	garam masala- 3/4 teaspoon	coconut cream- 1/2 cup
paneer butter masala	250 gms paneer, cubed	2 tablespoons cream+ 1 teaspoon garam masala+ 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)	cashew paste- 15 cashews + 1/4 cup water

NOTE: The curry paste has enough salt and spice. When you’re cooking the curry, add more salt if required, as per your taste.

mixed vegetable curry and vegetable korma

Saute 1 cup of curry paste in 2 teaspoons of oil for 5 minutes. (the curry paste has enough oil).
Add the vegetables and 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, then simmer until the vegetables get cooked, for about 10-15 minutes. If using frozen veggies, thaw them for 5 minutes in warm water before cooking.
Add the flavoring and thickening agent (see table above)
Simmer for 5 -10 minutes more or until the curry becomes thick and creamy.
Garnish with cilantro.

ingredients for vegetable korma made with curry paste — frozen vegetables, coconut, garam masala and curry paste are all you need for vegetable korma

vegetables being sauteed in a saute pan for vegetable korma made with curry paste — frozen vegetables, coconut, garam masala and curry paste are all you need for vegetable korma

dal/lentil curry

Cook the lentils as per package instructions. (the cooking time and amount of water depend on the type of lentils)
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil, add mustard and cumin seeds as given in the table.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add 1 cup of the curry paste, cooked lentils and 1 cup of water. (adjust the amount of water since the cooked lentils may already contain some liquid).
Simmer away until you get creamy, delicious dahl that doesn’t require a thickening agent.
Garnish with cilantro.

chicken curry

Mix the chicken pieces with 1 cup of curry paste (marinate for 30 minutes if time permits)
Saute in 1 tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Add garam masala and cashew paste.
Simmer for 10 more minutes or until it reaches the required consistency.
Garnish with cilantro.

fish curry

Saute 1 cup of curry paste in 2 teaspoons of oil, add fish fillets with 1 1/2 cups of water.
Optionally add diced eggplant for veggie goodness 🙂
Bring it to a boil.
Add tamarind paste and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the fish is cooked.
Garnish with curry leaves.

egg curry

Saute 1 cup of curry paste in 2 teaspoons of oil, add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
Add the boiled and halved eggs, garam masala and coconut cream.
Optionally, boiled and cubed potatoes may be added along with the eggs.
Simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to be absorbed by the eggs.
Garnish with cilantro.

paneer butter masala

Blend 1 cup of curry paste until smooth. The curry paste has to be smooth for paneer butter masala to get the creamy consistency.
Saute the curry paste in 1 tablespoon butter, add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
Add garam masala, cashew paste and dried fenugreek leaves (if available): it is an essential ingredient in most of the traditional paneer recipes). Mix well to avoid lumps.
Simmer for 10 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached.
Add in the paneer cubes and cream.
Simmer for 2 minutes and garnish with cilantro.

Now, you have recipes for curries to enjoy throughout the week. Just make a huge batch of the curry paste, double or triple the recipe, refrigerate/freeze and enjoy your 30-minute creamy delicious curries with rice, naan or roti.