This onion tomato masala (also known as Bhuna Masala) is an easy and flavorful Indian curry sauce made up of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and spices in Instant pot pressure cooker

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 6 cups
  • Category: Spice Blend
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250ml

  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 4 large yellow onions (diced (about 2 pounds))
  • 2 green chilies
  • 10-12 cloves garlic
  • 2 inch ginger
  • 5 large roma tomatoes ((about 3 cups) or 2 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes)
  • 1/4 cup water (as needed)

Spices (adjust to taste):

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoons red chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons coriander powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • salt (to taste)

Method

Instant Pot Method:

  1. Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add diced onions and saute onions for about 15-20 minutes until onions get lightly golden brown. Stir at regular intervals.
  2. Next, add green chilies, ginger, garlic, and saute for another 4-5 minutes stirring frequently.
  3. Then add diced tomatoes, spices and stir well. Cook another 3-4 minutes or until the tomatoes are just soft. Add ¼ cup of water to deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck bits to avoid BURN alert.
  4. Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes.
  5. Once the pot beeps, do a NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
  6. Blend the onion masala using an immersion blender (until smooth or slightly chunky as per your preference). If you don’t have an immersion blender, puree in a blender in batches once cooled somewhat. The sauce will continue to thicken a bit as it cools down.
  7. Completely cool the masala and transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate or freeze into silicon molds (see instructions below).

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:

  1. Follow the same recipe as above using a stovetop pressure cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles and reduce the flame and cook for another 5 minutes. Then turn off the gas. Once the pressure has released naturally, Blend the onion masala using an immersion blender (until smooth or slightly chunky as per your preference).

Stovetop Pot Method:

  1. Follow the same recipe as above using a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat till step 3, then Cover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes stirring at regular intervals till the sauce thickens. Next, blend the onion masala using an immersion blender (until smooth or slightly chunky as per your preference).

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.