You just stumbled onto one of the great hacks of Indian cooking: Onion Masala base. https://myheartbeets.com/indian-onion-masala/ try the butter paneer in this series - so easy, so good.
I’d go fierce on it with an immersion blender to get it smooth. What was your process for blending it?
I used a basic cheap "ninja" processor that is easy to pull out and clean.
I'll have to look up what an immersion blender is, never heard of it before.
Edit, basically the same thing just the food goes into the processor container instead of the device into the cooking bowl/pan.
Keep in mind, those Ninja things have whacky blades, but they differ. One is a "processor" blade, and another is a "blender" blade. I'd venture a guess this is just processed.
Anyway, to your point: the secret to sauces is sifting and filtering. It's kind of a quick 3 step process:
- marinate
- heat (heating is somewhat optional in some cases)
- blend
- sift/filter
If you want a smoother sauce like you'd find in a bottled product, you have a few different ways to go to finish:
- fine mesh strainer = still some pulp
- food mill = reduced pulp
- cheesecloth = no pulp
All pretty cheap to experiment with.
What's the real difference between a cheese cloth and an old worn out tee shirt? I keep a bunch for mostly lint free free rags when etching circuit boards and soldering. I might try that.
Cheesecloth has different weave tightness grades, is not dyed, and I guess I would call it food safe. Couldn't speak to what kind of material any given tshirts could be made of and say the same I guess.
Checking for my own knowledge: pulp it, then strain it, then thicken it. Is that the correct sequence?
It depends on what you mean to make. Is it a sauce of some sort?
Sure. Something like OP was going for.
Well most of the time, texture is going to be the last step, if that's what you're asking. As far as what you use, that's up to you.
That glass dish just hanging off the counter like that...😬
You might want to try Xanthan Gum as a thickener. It is flavorless, does not discolor or cloud sauces, and is temperature and pH stable. It does not need to be heated to work.
Regardless, sounds delicious
I've actually made a pretty similar gravy (I like it with meat loaf). One thing I've done is, rather than thickening with corn starch, try a roux made with beef tallow as the fat.
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