Serves: 5
Total Calories: 224

2 tablespoons melted ghee or unsalted butter
1 stick cinnamon (1-inch)
2 bay leaves
2 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
5 to 7 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
10 whole cloves
3 to 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
6 to 8 quarter-sized slices peeled fresh ginger
1 to 3 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, coarsely chopped
5 large tomatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat the ghee (or butter) in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium heat and cook the cinnamon, bay leaves, black and green cardamom pods, cloves, garlic, ginger, and green chili peppers, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, paprika, nutmeg, and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very soft and the volume reduces by about half, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Let cool and pass through a food mill or fine-mesh strainer and discard the gibers. (Add an additional 1/2 cup water to extract maximum pulp.) Return to the pan, add the salt and fenugreek, and cook, stirring as needed, over medium-high heat about 10 minutes. If there is too much spluttering, cover the pan, reduce the heat, and cook an extra 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Add the cream and simmer over low heat another 5 minutes to blend the flavors. If using a stand-alone sauce, transfer to a serving bowl serve hot.

VARIATION: A quicker, easier version of this sauce can also be made using 2 15-ounce cans of tomato sauce instead of the fresh tomatoes.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 224
Calories from Fat: 184

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Fenugreek Yogurt Curry with Fritters
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Hyderabadi Tomatoes in Spicy Tamarind Sauce
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