Bhuna Masala Recipe is a ready fried masala paste used for making thick brown-red curry / sauce or base. Bhuna means to fry in India hence the title. It hails from North East India, Calcutta and also some parts of Uttar Pradesh. I have adapted and modified this recipe from Sangeeta Khannas blog banaras ka khana.
For a detailed explanation bhuna masala is a basic curry masala paste or base used for making various kind of curries, veggies and rice. Bhuna masala is so famous and popular that you get them sold ready-made in stores. Atleast when you make home this masala paste you know what ingredients you adding right???
Bhuna masala paste is known to be spicy, color is from red to brown, oily and thick. I have kept the bhuna masala red as when I make any dish I would saute them first once it becomes brown then use them for making curries or veggies.
In Indian many recipes like paneer bhuna masala, chicken bhuna masala, chole bhuna masala etc are made from the bhuna masala paste. I even make khichdi, pulao from the bhuna paste. Have stored them in the freezer with oil so it lasts for a longer time. Just thaw the paste for an hour use as much as you want keep the rest in the freezer for future use.
Mainly kashmiri red chilies, whole indian garam masala (spices), onion, ginger-garlic, tomatoes and other spices goes in making this yummy paste. There are lot of version to make this I have tried to stick to the basic.
If you are looking for more Indian recipes then do check paneer tikka, malai paneer curry, paneer pasanda, palak paneer, paneer paratha, methi malai paneer, kadai paneer and paneer gulabjamun.
Bhuna Masala Recipe below:
- 18-20 dry kashmiri red chilies
- 1 inch ginger
- 10-12 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp oil + 2 tbsp more oil
- 1 tbsp cumin seed
- 1 t/s caraway seed
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 t/s fennel seed
- 2-3 black cardamom
- 5-6 green cardamom
- 1 star anise
- 20 peppercorn
- 10-12 cloves
- 1 -2 mace blades
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 medium sized onion
- 1 t/s sugar
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- ¼th tsp turmeric powder
- salt as per taste
- Soak kashmiri chilies in warm water for 30 mins. Now grind all the ingredients with little water and place aside.
- Take a pan add 2 tbsp oil saute all whole garam masala (spices) along with cumin, caraway and fennel.
- Once they leave a good aroma saute onion until they are light brown in color. Add sugar and some salt which would help the onion to caramelize faster.
- Add the tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste. Allow to cook until tomatoes soften. Add all the spice powder and mix nicely.
- Allow the mixture to cool down and grind until it's a uniform paste.
- Again take the same pan add rest of oil fry the grounded mixture until it starts leaving the edges of the pan.
- Lastly add the red paste and fry until the moisture evaporates. Add salt for seasoning. Once the mixture is thick and leaves the edges of the pan. Now you could fry them more until it's dark brown or leave them red. You could fry the paste again when you are cooking for any dish in future.
- Switch off the gas allow to cool and store them into an airtight container. Place them in the freezer and use as and when required. You could add some more oil to preserve the paste for longer time.
2. If you love spice then add more chilies.
3. It's important to cook the paste else it might get spoiled soon.
paul brown says
Hi Maria,
I made the recipe for the first time, was a smashing success, with marvelous taste. In a separate pan, I stir fried cauliflower and squash, in the end adding the bhuna masala over it.
Sumptuous!
maria says
Pleased to know this Paul 🙂 thanks for positive views. Glad you liked the bhuna masala and with cauliflower it must have tasted fabulous 🙂
Jyotsna malhotra says
Hi Maria thanks for the Lovelly masala.pl Maria help me how can preserve this bhuna masala for longer time.my daughter is at us .courier services takes five days .my previous experience was bad I put the masala in deep fridge for four days.for frosting butwhen the masala reached to my daughter it is spoiled pl .let me know what method I should adopt .softhat my daughter can enjoy the aroma of bhuna masala thanks pl. help me I lol be very great ful tou
maria says
Bhuna Masala have to be frozen then it last long… In summer season it will get spoiled. Hope this information helps you. If you would like to preserve then you would have to use more oil or vinegar for it to last longer just like pickle (achar).
sunita says
Hi Maria
Hope doing well, one query, if i want to put kashmiri powder, what wud be the proportion, if u cud help as i hv freshly ground one.
Pls help
Thanks in advance
lv n tk cre
sunita
maria says
Sunita I am doing good hope you are doing fine too? you could use about 3-4 tbsp of kashmiri powder. Preferably the soaked red chilies yields a different taste, color and impact. Hope this help’s you 🙂 take care.
peter says
Hi Maria,
Just wanted to know shud we add all the spices again for suate, after grinding them at first along with the red chillies.
maria says
peter check the recipe as the red paste is different and the spices fried is separately done. hope this help’s you.
Janani says
Wow nice recipes never heard of it and the masala looks so tempting got to try for sure… Thanks for the lovely recipe
maria says
welcome always Janani 🙂 do try surely and let me know how was it?
sunita says
Hi Maria
I wanted to share my experience that during the Durga Puja, me with all our friends wanted to feast on chicken which would taste different. I immediately had this home-made masala ready, believe me Maria, i wished i cud parcel this for you to taste, it came out mind blowing tasty, i swear, before using this masala i made a tomato puree and fried and in that goes the masala and spices.
I am going to make sabudana khichdi, will let u know.
Thanks so much for this recipe, its really very handy masala.
Lv and tk cre
sunita
maria says
Hope you had a great Diwali I am pleased to know you loved the bhuna masala paste. Even I have stored the paste in the freezer use as and when required. Yeah this masala is quite handy and is very effective while you are not sure what to cook. Surely lemme know how was sabudana khichdi …take care and nice to see you back after a long time 🙂
Kalsoom says
Salam Maria, thanks for the lovely bhuna masala recipe but I`m not sure about [ mace blades] could you please tell me what`s that???
maria says
Kalsoom you are welcome Mace blades are Javitri just use a a strand of javitri spice. Hope this helps you.
sangeeta khanna says
Thanks for the mention Maria. Love the red colour in your recipe 🙂
maria says
Thankyou Sangeeta 🙂 and you are welcome.