I’ve found that pureeing the veggies (onion, tomato, chili) can help thicken the sauce. The slower solution is to cook down the dal more, though that may be undesirable if you don’t want them pasty. For chickpeas, smash a dozen or two and stir them into the masala.
“Fruity” could mean you didn’t cook the tomatoes enough; the sweetness is tempered with umami with time. Cooking the tomatoes longer also releases the pectin, thickening the sauce. Too much of some of the sweeter spices like fennel, anise, cloves, or cardamom could be interpreted as fruity, though I’d say they’re more of a flowery sweetness.
Great answer. It’s really easy to underestimate how long to cook down the onions and tomatoes to get the right flavour profile. I know it took me a while to get down.
I’ve found that pureeing the veggies (onion, tomato, chili) can help thicken the sauce. The slower solution is to cook down the dal more, though that may be undesirable if you don’t want them pasty. For chickpeas, smash a dozen or two and stir them into the masala.
“Fruity” could mean you didn’t cook the tomatoes enough; the sweetness is tempered with umami with time. Cooking the tomatoes longer also releases the pectin, thickening the sauce. Too much of some of the sweeter spices like fennel, anise, cloves, or cardamom could be interpreted as fruity, though I’d say they’re more of a flowery sweetness.
Also, add hing.
Great answer. It’s really easy to underestimate how long to cook down the onions and tomatoes to get the right flavour profile. I know it took me a while to get down.