This is a time-saving recipe for curry paste made with simple ingredients. Learn not only how to make curry paste but also 7 easy curry recipes with the curry paste. Make this paste and plan easy healthy weeknight dinners with curry and rice/ naan/ roti.
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. That’s TASTY and HEALTHY.
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 into the recipe for curry paste
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 curry.
how to make 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!
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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.
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 (dal) with spinach, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
7 recipes with curry paste
(you can find the printable recipe card at the end of post)
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 | ADDITIONAL 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: This recipe for 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.
Frozen vegetables, coconut, garam masala and curry paste for vegetable korma. 
Saute curry paste with vegetables, bring it to a boil and add coconut cream. 
Serve vegetable korma with roti, naan or rice.
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.
easy recipe for curry chicken
- 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 easy 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 easy healthy weeknight dinner with curry and rice, naan or roti.
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Easy Recipe for Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 large 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
Instructions
- Make a coarse paste with onions, ginger, garlic and green chili using a food processor or blender.
- Heat oil in a wide pan and saute the paste. Keep stirring until the paste browns, for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium-low flame.
- Puree the tomatoes. Add the tomato puree with all the spices.
- Saute for another 15 minutes or until the paste is nicely browned and thickened.
- Cool and store in an airtight jar. This curry paste keeps well in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for a month.
Video
Notes
- The key to making this curry paste delicious lies in the time you take to saute the onions and tomatoes. Keep stirring on medium-low heat until all ingredients come together.
- This curry paste can be used to make a variety of Indian curries, using vegetables, paneer, meat, fish or eggs. (recipes below:)
- Use lesser chili powder in the curry paste if you’re not used to spice. 1 1/2 teaspoons would be an optimum quantity. Or leave out the green chili.
- The nutrition facts for the curry paste are based on the estimation that 3 cups of the paste can be used to cook 12 servings of curry.
7 easy recipes for curries with the curry paste (4 servings)
Add the above nutrition details of the curry paste to nutrition of each curry recipe to get the total nutrition facts.mixed vegetable curry and vegetable korma
- Saute 1 cup of curry paste in 2 teaspoons of oil for 5 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of fresh/frozen 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 1/2 teaspoon garam masala.
- For mixed vegetable curry, add cashew paste made with 15 cashews and 1/4 cup of water.
- For vegetable korma, add 1/2 cup of coconut cream.
- Simmer for 5 -10 minutes more or until the curry becomes thick and creamy.
- Garnish with cilantro.
nutrition facts for mixed vegetable curry
nutrition facts for vegetable korma
dal/lentil curry
- Cook 1 cup of lentils as per package instructions. (the cooking time and amount of water depend on the type of lentils and the equipment used).
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil, add mustard and cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon each.
- 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 500 gms/1 lb 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 1 teaspoon garam masala and cashew paste made with 15 cashews and 1/4 cup of water.
- Simmer for 10 more minutes or until it reaches required consistency.
- Garnish with cilantro.
fish curry
- Saute 1 cup of curry paste in 2 teaspoons of oil, add 500 gms/1 lb fish fillets with 1 1/2 cups of water.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Add 2 tablespoons 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 8 boiled and halved eggs, 3/4 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 cup coconut cream.
- Optionally, 2 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 2 tablespoons butter, add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
- Add 1 teaspoon garam masala, cashew paste made with 15 cashews and 1/4 cup of water. Optionally add 1 teaspoon 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 250 gms paneer cubes and 2 tablespoons cream.
- Simmer for 2 minutes and garnish with cilantro.
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