There are two things that I always say. One is that I come from a long line of practical people (Hi Mama!) and the other that I come from a long line of lovable nerds (Hi Abu!). My entire life my mother has batch cooked her curry masala, portioned it off and frozen it for the next few months. Last Ramadan I remember standing there, wearily staring at my onion masala willing them to dissolve and thought this is the part of cooking I don't like.
So this year I have decided to take a page out of my mothers book and prep some Salan Masala. I make mine in the Instant Pot because it is so much faster and have tried it a few times in different dishes and am SO pleased with the results.
Is Instant Pot Salan Masala the Same as Making it Fresh?
Short answer: no. As any Pakistani cook knows flavour starts with the onions. The translucent onion is the perfect base for a cleaner curry, the slightly golden one provides the caramelly undertones in another and the deep brown ones give richness to Kormas and Pulaos alike. When you batch cook a masala it won't have all those subtleties but it is such a huge time saver that it is totally worth it!
When you make an Instant Pot Salan Masala you are picking one style. My suggestion: stick to the one you use the post. In my case I have made two batches - one darker Korma style for pulaos and deeper curries and a second milder one for every day chicken curries and Aaloo Gosht.
How Do I Customize the Masala?
Think hard about the food you eat the most. If you never ever make a curry without tomatoes, add a few in when putting the Instant Pot on Manual. If your curries always have coriander powder go ahead and put it in, but if they do not then skip it or just put a little.
Want the handy mixer? Wondering what Instant Pot I use? Check out my Amazon page! It doesn't cost you anything extra, but I will get a small (very small) percentage of sales.
How do I use the Salan Masala?
In a nutshell - depending on how much curry you like - for one pound of beef/chicken heat ¾-1 cup of the salan masala on the stove. Add the meat, saute, add water, bring to a boil and cook till tender. For my Aaloo Gosht I tossed in two tomatoes, the salan masala and the meat in the IP and cooked on manual for 20 then quick released. For a Pulao you would use a similar approach.
As with any curry what you add towards the end is key. A pinch of methi gives a sweeter flavour, garam masala adds depth, cilantro freshness, cumin powder a more rounded taste.
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Instant Pot Salan Masala
Ingredients
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp whole black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 lb onions - roughly ⅞
- 3 tbsp garlic paste
- 3 tbsp ginger paste
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 1 - 1.5 tbsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder (optional)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Instructions
- Slice or dice your onions. Use a food processor or a mandolin if you have one handy.
- Heat a generous amount of oil in your IP on saute mode.
- When it is hot add the whole spices and saute for 30 seconds
- Add the onions, keep stirring and cook for about 10 minutes until the edges/tips of most of the onions are slightly golden. For a darker curry base keep cooking (and stirring) for 15-20 minutes - usually it is safer to go for a light golden.
- Now add your ginger and garlic pastes and saute for 2 minutes
- Once they pastes are incorporated add the remaining dry masala and salt and saute until the mix starts to come together and form a cohesive paste. If it starts to burn add a small splash of water. When it is done the oil will rise to the top.
- Pour 2.5 cups of hot water into the Instant Pot, give it a stir and put it on manual (pressure) for 20 minutes.
- Let it naturally release and saute to reduce the liquid for a more concentrated base. If you want you can use an immersion blender to puree it at this point.
- When it is cool enough to handle then drain the extra oil out of the masala
- This mix will keep in the coldest part of your fridge for 10 days or you can freeze it into roughly one cup servings for 3 months.
Notes
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S a says
I make this at least once a month
Sarah Mir says
that is wonderful to hear!!!
Nadia says
This looks great, will definitely be trying it out! If I wanted to add tomatoes, how many and at what stage please?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Nadia! So I'd add it after step 6 and then pressure cook. In terms of quantity of tomatoes I typically like the ratio of 2 tomatoes to one onion. This is roughly 6-8 onions so you're looking at a dozen tomatoes or so. Hope that helps!
Sk says
This is just what I needed as I prep for Ramadan! Thank you 😊
Sarah Mir says
Yay! It's made my life simpler and I hope it does yours too!
Laila says
Love the recipe!! If I substitute the water for tomato, what kind of dishes will be suitable for the masala with tomato? I’ll use this one for chicken or maybe sabzi!
Sarah Mir says
Thanks laila! Add tomatoes and it's such a nice base for ANY salan - from aloo gosht to a chicken salan and you can absolutely use it as a sabzi starter too so to speak!
Kiran Ahmad says
Making this today and my house smells amazing! Thanks so much, Sarah!
Sarah Mir says
Yay! so glad! this particular smell always reminds me of my mother
Hera says
Love this! Will definitely try it out! I don’t have an IP so a normal pot will do, right?
Sarah Mir says
It totally will! That's how my mother always made it!
Shehla says
So excited to try this and have a quick fix option to get dinner on the table in 30 min.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
thank you Shehla!!!
J says
Hi! You are such an all rounder! What can not you do!!?? 🤔
Anyway back than there were no IPs, so how to make this without it?
BTW Photography and video is great.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
wow thank you so much! appreciate your support! So my mother just cooks it stovetop, simmering it until the onions are tender - my guess is that this would take about 40 minutes for this quantity,then you can puree and/or reduce it down to make it easy to store!
Samina says
This is an awesome idea.
Thank you dear
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
you are so very welcome!!!!