Ubala Pisa Pyaz

Boiled Onion Paste

VegetarianOrigin Awadh/Delhi/HyderabadPrep 25–30 minutesMakes 1kg / 2¼lb

A fragrant, savoury base paste made from onions gently simmered with whole spices and blended until smooth.

7 gAdded to the pan with the onions and water (step 1)

1.5 g3 leaves

spice

6 g3 pods

spice

Keep whole; they simmer alongside the onions.

Everything else

Onion · Pyazroughly chopped

1000 g

vegetable

Combine 1000 g roughly chopped onion, the whole spices for boiling, and 250 ml water in a heavy saucepan or pot, then place over high heat and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium and gently cook for 20 minutes, watching for the liquid to cook away completely and the onions to soften into translucency.
Empty the contents of the pan into a blender and blitz thoroughly until completely smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Onion

Shallot
Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.
Cabbage
Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Bay leaf

Cinnamon stick
Use a 2 cm piece (about 1 g) for every 1 to 2 bay leaves. Fry in whole-spice temperings; provides the cassia-like warmth typical of Indian tejpatta.
Ground cinnamon (cassia)
Use 0.5 g per leaf. Stir into the sauce during simmering; gives the same warm woodiness but darkens the colour slightly.

Black cardamom pod

Ground black cardamom
Use 0.5 g of ground seeds for each whole pod. Stir directly into the curry base; delivers identical smoky flavour without woody husks.
Green cardamom pod
Use equal pod count or weight. Crack slightly and fry whole; tastes sweet, menthol-fresh, and floral rather than dark and smoky.