Masala base
The cooked foundation of onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and spice that most Indian gravies are built on.
Also: onion tomato masala, gravy base, tarka base, bunao
A masala base is the slow-cooked mix on which curries are built. Chopped onions are browned in oil, followed by ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and spices, and the mixture is cooked until it releases oil. Restaurants often make big batches of base gravy and finish each dish to order with its distinct spices and main ingredient. At home, the base is made fresh and varies by region: yoghurt and fried onions in Mughlai cooking, coconut in Kerala, mustard oil and panch phoron in Bengal. The base is also where spice is bloomed, so the cooking of each stage has an effect on the finished taste.