Today’s post is in continuation to my earlier post on how to make onion tomato masala for Indian gravies? A versatile masala that can be used for almost all the Indian recipes which calls for onion, ginger, garlic and tomato as base ingredients. In this post I will show you how to store onion – tomato masala?
This masala needs to be handled and stored properly otherwise it may get moldy in your refrigerator in couple of weeks. If you know what will be your meal planner for the next week then store a small quantity of it in an airtight container and freeze the rest.
To freeze you will need – depending on the quantity of masala you may need 2 – 4 8 oz. canning jar, labels, and of course the cooked cooled down masala.
Wash and dry the canning jars. Mark your labels and fill up your canning jars with this masala. Secure the lid and place it in the freezer.
If you are short on space, than another way to store this masala would be either in a plastic zipolac bag or ice cube trays. Wash and dry ice trays. Spoon out 2 teaspoon of masala in each cube.
Cover it with a plastic wrap to avoid other odors to penetrate in the masala. On the other hand this masala itself has a strong aroma which may penetrate into other foods, so cover it properly. After it’s frozen, remove masala from tray and put it in Ziploc bags and store for future use.
Wow, superb blog. I am a bachelor and tried this and Mrs. Ruchi it is working great for me. really looking forward for some quick and easy bachelor recipes.
Thanks Saurabh, sure will look into your request!
Have been using it for my gravies now. Being a working mom this is such a blessing. Thanks Ruchi
You are welcome Payal.No doubt this masala really comes in handy.
Hi. How important it is to thaw this masala. Can I put it straight into the pan from freezer and thaw it on heat?
Thanks for stopping by Aashima! If you are storing in small quantity than you can thaw it directly in the pan. If storing it all together in a big container than you need to thaw the masala in order to take out the desired quantity needed for that recipe. Hope I have answered your question. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.
Hi Ruchi… I am
Making this masala now and it’s in the slow cooker… it’s been 2 hours … I just stirred it and checked the Taste and it tastes very bitter:( I hope the bitterness goes away once it’s fully cooked…. what did I do wrong? Can I save this masala now?
You didn’t do anything wrong.
Shamika, the bitter taste is of the raw onions. Once masala is cooked completely, the bitter taste will go away.
Keep me updated.
When this masala expired??
Good for an year if stored properly. Store in cool place away from heat in an airtight container.
Ruchi
This base for curry is my favorite. I make and use it often. I generally can it and it stays well for long time.
My favorite too. It’s a multi-purpose base. Can be used with just about anything.
Thanks, Alka!
How many cups or ounces would 10 small tomatoes and 6-8 large onions be?
Ellen 1 small tomato is equivalent to 3-4 ounces so 10 small tomatoes are equivalent to 30-40 ounces.
Likewise, 1 large onion is equivalent to 8 ounces so 6-8 onions are equivalent to 48-64 ounces.
Hello
Just saw your tomato onion paste recipe and wanted to know how to store this outside at normal temperature as my fridge is already loaded with frozen veggies .
Anu, you can store Onion-tomato masala in your fridge for a week. If you are making it in bulk, that needs to be freeze.
Freeze onion-tomato masala in ice cube trays overnight. Next day, transfer the frozen onion-tomato cubes to a plastic bag and freeze again.
This is how I do, and it saves me a lot of space in the freezer.