It’s the basic onion tomato gravy. 😀
Working and managing home and cooking all together is quite a thing and hats off to those who do the same with kids at home as well. For me, my working hours are quite long. I start at 6.30 in the morning and by the time I am back home the clock is exactly in the same position again. 🙂 The only difference is the sky outside, my mood and my energy………
When I leave its dark, my mood is in the anticipation of whats to come of the day and my energy is soaring high, ready to go and plunge myself with my students. 🙂 In the evening, the sun is barely peeping through the horizon, my mood is on its down track and my energy is even more down after the whole day of involvement at work!!!
Nevertheless, I enjoy my work to the fullest 😀 and want it to be the same always!!! When I started work, I didn’t want my life to just be in the rut of work and kitchen and seem like a punishment for me. And hence ever since, I started developing some tactics which would lessen my time in the kitchen after coming from work.
I realised that onion and tomato was in most of my cooking. Be it dals or some curry or biryani. That gave me the idea to make the basic gravy in bulk and store in the freezer. Initially I would store them in big plastic container, but I realised that I ended up having a fight with the frozen chunk everytime I had to use it. 😯
And then she came to my rescue. 😀 So now, no more fight when I want some basic gravy!!! 🙂 Just open the ziploc bag and get out as many pieces as you want. 🙂 Some of the things where in I use this basic gravy are: pressure cook the dals and add this gravy and spices and you have you dal ready in 15 mins. Make rice and throw in this gravy and some veggies with spices for instant biryani. Pressure cook/ grill eggplant and mix with this gravy and spices for quick baingan bharta. Pressure cook potatoes, peas and cauliflower and mix this gravy with pav bhaji masala for a quick pav bhaji. 🙂 The uses are umpteen!!!! 🙂
So shall we begin………
The ratio of onion and tomato is up to you!!! I prefer my food more tomatoey and hence I use them in slightly higher proportion.
Chop the onions and garlic and saute them in oil till the onions get soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes and salt to taste. Cover and cook till the tomatoes get soft and mushy. Do not add any spices!!!!! It stains your ice cube tray!!!! Been there, done that! 😦
Let it cool and then run your hand blender through it or process it in your food processor. (This is optional!!! If you want them to remain coarse then just mash them roughly with a potato masher)
Freeze them in ice cube tray and then store in ziploc bags. 🙂 Instant gravy is ready to be thrown into anything you like. 😀
OOOOoh..what a crazy thing to do..but yet useful …:-)…My day is made 🙂 thanks a lot…( hey, i am in love with all those smileys, lined up like preschool kids in a line, being taken to the class by the teacher :-), and each of them havng one of those expressions…:-) )
Great idea! I make gravies ahead of time…never tried to freeze them. Will do that now.
Hi!
That’s very innovative!!!! and nice too!!!
Wow, what an idea…great time saver….thanks for sharing this.
-srivalli
http://www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com
Nice one! Ketlu easy kari didhu te!
wow great idea coffee, never tried this. freezing my freezer is so full always. i do try to store some masala items and freeze. This is very handy!
I would never have guessed, good idea too. 😛
Oh what a stress reliever. While we are at it maybe pop a few into the mouth. Just kidding… got carried away.
Very clever, Coffee! Thanks for sharing this idea!
WHAT??!!!;D
Of course , I never wil at guessing games!!!
Very clever.I freeze Ginger-garlic paste and Tomato paste.Great idea for a quick lunch!:)
thank god i missed that guessing game!! 😉 but love this idea. i can very well relate to ur story. so its gonna be onion+tomato gravy cubes for this weekend 🙂 and thanks for that small piece of info abt not to use any spices. 🙂
and here i was guessing sweets 🙄
good one coffee! so true about those spices 😆 😆
ur recipe is so good to store the basic gravy for a long term use, I usually make a big batch with spices n’ all just a few days before i’m expecting guests and keep it in the fridge 😀 😀
OMG!!so very useful Coffee..guess I am no good at guessing games.anyway,I hope I can implement your idea in my cooking when one day I start working. 😀 Good idea about not adding the spices.I had no idea they stained the ice tray..
WOW…this is one cool clever idea, coffee…thank YOU 🙂
Shn
wow!! thats a great idea….. looks really good too! 🙂
Hi coffee,
I’m amazed.. I have a similar routine..only a little longer, I leave at 5:30 and don’t get back until 6:30.. I have the same issues with energy levels 🙂 I have started preparing dinner for the whole week in advance as during weekdays I have to workout as well. I heard about freezing in the ice tray from a friend who was born in the US. Apparently her mo used that technique as well. Then in trader Joe’s u find the frozen ice cubes for fresh herbs like basil etc..in the freezer section. I agree this will certainly minimise time. Thanks for such a great one!
Annisha
Hi coffee,
Sorry for leaving too many comments but I hadn’t read your earlier response to my request. Thanks for your response, I will wait for the undio recipe..
thanks so much,
Annisha
😯 gee, why didn’t i think of that!!!!!???… Very nice idea!!! 💡
Hi Coffee,I am always wrong at guessing !
I too make this gravy , only when I am in a gr8 mood to do some extra work in the kitchen :))
I too agree with you the benefits of making this gravy are enormous. My whole week goes off well, be it matar paneer ,aloo matar etc. Making them in to ice cubes certainly helps 🙂
Now I am going to try it in the microwave. If I succeed I will give a post.
wow
came back to look what it is
onion??????never imagined that
i thought of all those fruit stuff other people already commented
cool i say :))
hey
can u add some salt?
and how often you make this ?
You such a smart gal.. Great idea Coffee!
Wow!!such a innovative you are my girl…..its really sounds good…thansk for sharing.
I knew it was something frozen in a ice tray. nice idea will try this way if busy.
😐 😈 😯 🙂 ➡ 😀 😳 🙄 😥 😉 😮 😆 😦 😡 ❗ ❓ 👿 😳 😛
Oh, you smart cookie you! I love it! Here I thought I was clever keeping browned onions and tomato puree in the fridge. Portioned and frozen, now that is *genius*!! 🙂
😆 this was the best guessing game ever, nobody got it… aren’t you a clever one… great idea, and I love this whole ice cube tray idea for some other stuff too that I need to defrost in smaller portions. Thank you coffee girl… 🙂
You really had us with this one. We were so way off base. Good one coffee 😀
hmm, i usually freeze the onion and tomatoes separately and throw in cubes of both according to the ratio I want them in the dish… i guess combining them is a step further 🙂
Great idea! 💡 I used to make onion paste alone coz I thought tomatoes will spoil. Will try this once 🙂
And I thought I was the only one leaving home at that weird hour 🙂 But I get back much earlier, have to pick up the little one you know.
But weekdays does get tiring so I usually cook for at least half of the week on weekends to surivive 🙂
I loved those little blocks of gravies, maybe soon they will be flooding the market
HI Coffee,
this is something???????Different way to store the curry:-)) Well…on the whole great idea…yes unique too..atleast for me.Well go..:-))
I saw this on Past Present and Me. It’s a really interesting idea. But i just love watching those onions sizzle everytime I cook Indian food… ha ha. 😆 Not very sensible at all…
wow!! thats a superb idea!! so simple and handy…….thanks!!
This is intresting and very handy to use.thank u for this one.so easy to make.
great, very creative ben….I can stop pondering now…hey I have been on a blog patrol on my last two post, see I do listen to you ben and one day I will sync with your theme…~grin~…take care ben
Hi Coffee, A very innovative way to store onion and tomato puree and also very convi to use. Thanks for sharing.
hi coffee,
woh..Great Idea!!!
thanks for sharing the instant gravy recipe:)
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Thanks for the tip. Just a thought. Does the curry taste very different when using the frozen cubes instead.
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I was just wondering if someone has tried this kindaa idea, and happy to hit this page in my search :o) … This is smart 😎 , I am really looking forward to try it… am sure it will reduce my cooking time by 50% :o)
Do you have any ideas about storing or freezing Dough for Chapatis ? I am not good and quick at making dough , it drains me off completely…. ;-(
I got dough maker but it kneeds in huge quantity, I tried to store it in tupperwaer/ziplog after greasing with oil.. but it doesnt remain fresh :-S
lemmme know if u have any ideas… pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (Y)