Make Ahead Slow Cooker Tadka Masala (Indian Dish Flavor Base)
. It's the "secret sauce" if you will. The problem is a good tadka masala takes a lot of time to cook to get the rich flavor, generous amount of cooking oil, and you have to stay at the stove continuously stirring so the onions don't burn; but with kids who has the time, seriously?:) The slow cooker helps you achieve that rich flavor you are looking for without having to stay at the stove continuously stirring; you use way less cooking oil, and allows you to make enough to provide the base for 8-14 separate Indian dishes. I even add this to other non-Indian dishes like spanish rice, stir-fry's, marinara sauce, and it gives it incredible flavor.)
Make Ahead Slow Cooker Tadka Masala (Indian Dish Flavor Base)
By Twinmama Toddler Meals Indian Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan, Wheat-Free
June 22, 2016
Tadka Masala is the flavor base for almost all North Indian dishes (think butter chicken, saag paneer, curry). It's the "secret sauce" if you will. The problem is a good tadka masala takes a lot of time to cook to get the rich flavor, generous amount of cooking oil, and you have to stay at the stove continuously stirring so the onions don't burn; but with kids who has the time, seriously?:) The slow cooker helps you achieve that rich flavor you are looking for without having to stay at the stove continuously stirring; you use way less cooking oil, and allows you to make enough to provide the base for 8-14 separate Indian dishes. I even add this to other non-Indian dishes like spanish rice, stir-fry's, marinara sauce, and it gives it incredible flavor.
- Yields: 12-14
Directions
1Rinse tomatoes. With a knife, make a small "X" on the bottom of each tomato and blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove, set aside, and let cool. Once cooled, remove skin of tomatoes.
2Sautee garlic cloves on medium-high heat for a couple minutes, (This step is important, because if you place raw garlic in a slow cooker, it will turn greenish blue, as will the onions). Remove from heat and set aside.
3Peel onions, and grind them in a food processor or blender to minced size or to a paste. (If it's too dry to process or blend, add in a little bit of vegetable oil).
4Place onion mixture into slow cooker.
5Grind peeled tomatoes, garlic, and ginger (peeled) in a food processor or blender.
6Add vegetable oil, salt, and tomato mixture to onion mixture in slow cooker.
7Cover and Cook on High for Sixteen (16) Hours, stirring occasionally in between. Should become a nice brown shade. If you don't like to keep your slow cooker on overnight, you can keep it on during the day, put in in the refrigerator, and then put it back on the next day.
8Once cooked, let cool.
9After cooled, ladle into muffin tray and place in freezer for at least 8 hours.
10Remove muffin tray from freezer and pop out tadka masala "muffins" and place all of them into a freezer large ziploc bag, close, and then place in freezer.
11When ready to use, open bag, remove 1 or 2 and melt on stove and combine with dish and desired spices and salt.
The idea for this recipe was provided to me by my friend Maneesh, and it has changed my life, and it will change yours too:)