Easy Indian Gravy

By
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Food writer Petrina Verma Sarkar is a native of India with extensive knowledge of the country's regional cuisines.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/16/21
Easy Indian Gravy

The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 3 cups

Most Indian dishes that include a gravy have certain ingredients in common—such as garlic and ginger pastes, coriander and cumin powders and turmeric—and are made from a masala, a mix of these spices blended into a paste. So preparing and storing a gravy when you have some spare time is a great idea and makes dinner a cinch on a busy weeknight—when you are ready to cook, all you need to do is add the meat or vegetable to the gravy and cook through.

This basic masala is the necessary blend for several Indian dishes, including chicken tikka masala, chicken curry, and methi mutton curry to just name a few. This recipe makes enough gravy for a single dish, but feel free to double and freeze for later use. You can also make a thinner gravy using thinly sliced onions and tomatoes instead of grinding them into a paste. 

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions, cut into quarters

  • 2 medium tomatoes, cut into quarters

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or canola or sunflower oil

  • 2 teaspoons garlic paste

  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder, less if you want less heat

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Indian Gravy ingredients

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  2. Grind the onion and tomato together in a food processor until you get a smooth paste. Add water if it is too thick and not processing well, but try not to add too much water while grinding.

    onions and tomatoes in a food processor

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  3. Heat the cooking oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the paste you just prepared. Fry for 5 minutes.

    tomato onion mixture in a pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  4. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and fry for 2 more minutes.

    Add the garlic and ginger pastes to the tomato onion mixture in the pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  5. Add the powdered spices and fry until the oil begins to separate from the masala.

    add spices to the mixture in the pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  6. Turn off the heat and allow the paste to cool completely if you're not using it immediately. Put into a container with a tight-fitting lid, label container with date and freeze.

    Easy Indian Gravy in a pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
105 Calories
8g Fat
7g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 74mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 8mg 42%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 204mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)