What’s an All-in-One Flame-Roasted Base for Potjies, Curries and Pasta?
When a recipe begins with “chop an onion, crush a few cloves of garlic and add tomatoes”, you already know there will be extra shopping, preparation and washing up.
Those ingredients form the flavour base of many everyday meals, but buying them separately is not always convenient. Onions take time to soften, garlic can burn, and fresh tomatoes may spoil before you use them.
Red Gold Concentrate gives you an all-in-one flame-roasted tomato, onion and garlic base that you can scoop directly from the jar into potjies, curries, pasta sauces and other cooked dishes.
There is no need to peel, chop or fry the ingredients separately before you start building the rest of the meal.
One Jar Replaces Three Basic Ingredients
Many savoury recipes depend on the same three ingredients:
- Tomatoes for richness, acidity and body
- Onions for sweetness and depth
- Garlic for a strong savoury flavour
Red Gold Concentrate combines these ingredients in one concentrated cooking base.
The tomatoes are flame-roasted, while the onions and garlic are oven-roasted before being blended into a smooth concentrate. This gives the base a deeper, cooked flavour than raw tomato, onion and garlic added at the last minute.
Instead of buying three separate ingredients, you simply open the jar and scoop out what you need.
Jump to Quick Red Gold Chicken Curry recipe
Why a Concentrated Base Works Better Than Plain Tomato Paste
Tomato paste mainly adds concentrated tomato flavour and colour. It does not replace the onion and garlic that usually need to be prepared separately.
Red Gold Concentrate already contains:
- Flame-roasted tomatoes
- Roasted onions
- Roasted garlic
- Seasoning and balancing ingredients
This means it works as the starting flavour base, rather than only as a tomato thickener.
You can still add fresh vegetables, herbs, spices or meat, but the slow-cooked foundation is already there.
Use It Straight from the Jar
There is no complicated preparation method.
Add a spoonful directly to your pot, pan or casserole and stir it into the liquid, meat or vegetables.
A useful starting point is:
- 1 to 2 teaspoons for a single portion or small sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons for a family pasta, curry or stew
- Several tablespoons for a large potjie, depending on its size and the amount of sauce required
Because Red Gold is concentrated, it is better to begin with a smaller amount. Taste the dish and add more as it cooks.
Red Gold Concentrate in a Potjie
A good potjie needs a rich sauce that develops around the meat and vegetables.
Normally, this means chopping onions, frying them until soft, adding garlic and then adding tomatoes or tomato paste. Red Gold allows you to build that same flavour foundation with one ingredient.
How to use it
After browning the meat, add a few tablespoons of Red Gold Concentrate. Stir it through the meat juices before adding stock, water, wine or vegetables.
The concentrate helps:
- Add a roasted tomato flavour
- Thicken the gravy
- Bring sweetness from roasted onion
- Add garlic without separate chopping
- Give the sauce a deeper red colour
It is useful in beef, lamb, chicken and vegetable potjies.
Simple Red Gold Potjie Base
For a medium potjie, combine:
- 3 tablespoons Red Gold Concentrate
- 500 ml stock or water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Black pepper to taste
- Your preferred potjie herbs and spices
Stir the mixture into the browned meat before adding the vegetables.
Taste before adding extra salt, as the stock and other seasonings may already contain salt.
Red Gold Concentrate in Curries
Onion, tomato and garlic form the base of many curries. The preparation often takes longer than the rest of the recipe because the onions need time to soften and the tomato needs time to cook down.
Red Gold gives you this foundation in concentrated form.
Heat your curry spices in a little oil, then stir in one or two tablespoons of Red Gold Concentrate. Add the meat, vegetables, lentils, coconut milk, stock or water and continue cooking as usual.
The concentrate works well in:
- Chicken curry
- Beef curry
- Lamb curry
- Bean curry
- Lentil curry
- Chickpea curry
- Vegetable curry
- Tomato-based seafood curry
Choose the No Burn, Mild or Hot version according to the heat level you want.
Quick Red Gold Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken pieces
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons Red Gold Concentrate
- 1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 250 ml water or chicken stock
- 250 ml coconut milk or cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Heat the oil and brown the chicken.
- Add the curry powder and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the Red Gold Concentrate and coat the chicken well.
- Pour in the stock and coconut milk.
- Simmer until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve with rice, pap, roti or bread.
Red Gold Concentrate in Pasta Sauces
A tomato pasta sauce normally begins with onion and garlic fried in oil. Tinned tomatoes or tomato paste are then added and cooked until the sharp tomato flavour softens.
Red Gold removes most of these steps.
Add the concentrate to mince, chicken, mushrooms, vegetables or cream, then loosen it with pasta water, stock, milk or cream.
It works in:
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Lasagne sauce
- Creamy tomato pasta
- Chicken pasta
- Seafood pasta
- Vegetable pasta
- One-pot pasta dishes
Simple Five-Minute Red Gold Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Red Gold Concentrate
- 100 to 150 ml pasta cooking water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 2 portions cooked pasta
- Grated cheese, optional
- Fresh herbs, optional
Method
- Heat the oil or butter in a pan.
- Add the Red Gold Concentrate.
- Stir in the pasta water until the sauce reaches the consistency you prefer.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss until coated.
- Finish with cheese or herbs if available.
You can also add cooked mince, bacon, chicken, tuna, mushrooms or leftover vegetables.
Fewer Ingredients to Buy and Store
An all-in-one base is especially useful when you do not cook every day.
A bag of onions may begin sprouting. Garlic can dry out. Fresh tomatoes can become soft in the fridge. Once opened, a tin of tomato paste may also be forgotten until it needs to be thrown away.
With Red Gold Concentrate, you scoop out only the amount required for the meal.
This makes it practical for:
- Small households
- Campers and caravanners
- Students
- Busy families
- Holiday homes
- Self-catering accommodation
- Pantry-based meals
- People who cook for one or two
It also reduces the number of ingredients that need to be transported when camping or travelling.
Useful Beyond Potjies, Curries and Pasta
Although it works especially well in these three meals, the same roasted base can be used wherever a recipe calls for tomato, onion and garlic.
Try it in:
- Shakshuka
- Soup
- Stew
- Mince
- Chakalaka
- Tamatiebredie
- Pap and wors smoor
- Pizza sauce
- Marinades
- Casseroles
- Baked beans
- Rice dishes
- Braai sauces
- Savoury mince for vetkoek
It can also be stirred into gravy or stock when a dish tastes thin or lacks depth.
Build Your Meal Around What You Already Have
Red Gold Concentrate is not intended to make every dish taste exactly the same. It provides the foundation, while the remaining ingredients determine the final meal.
For example:
- Add curry powder and coconut milk for a curry.
- Add mince and Italian herbs for a pasta sauce.
- Add stock, meat and vegetables for a potjie.
- Add beans and paprika for a quick stew.
- Add cream for a milder tomato sauce.
- Add braai spices for a smoky meat sauce.
The concentrate saves you from rebuilding the same tomato, onion and garlic base every time.
Which Red Gold Concentrate Should You Choose?
Red Gold Concentrate is available in different heat levels.
No Burn
Choose No Burn when you want the roasted tomato, onion and garlic flavour without noticeable chilli heat.
It is suitable for children, creamy dishes and recipes where you plan to add your own spices.
Mild
Mild adds gentle warmth without overwhelming the other ingredients.
It works well in pasta, mince, stews and everyday family meals.
Hot
Hot is suited to curries, spicy potjies, chakalaka and dishes where chilli should form part of the main flavour.
You can also combine versions when cooking for people with different heat preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Red Gold Concentrate replace fresh onion and garlic completely?
Yes, in many cooked dishes it can provide the tomato, onion and garlic foundation on its own. You may still add fresh onion or garlic when you specifically want their texture or a stronger individual flavour.
Do I need to fry it first?
Not necessarily. It can be added directly to a dish. However, stirring it through hot oil, spices or browned meat for a minute can deepen the flavour before liquid is added.
Is it the same as tomato paste?
No. Tomato paste is mainly concentrated tomato. Red Gold Concentrate contains flame-roasted tomatoes together with roasted onion and garlic, making it a more complete cooking base.
How much should I use?
Start with one tablespoon for a small family meal and add more according to taste. Larger potjies and stews may need several tablespoons.
Can I use it in creamy sauces?
Yes. Stir a small amount into cream, milk or coconut milk to create a creamy tomato sauce. Add gradually so that the tomato flavour does not overpower the dish.
The All-in-One Base for Everyday Cooking
The answer to buying separate tomatoes, onions and garlic for every potjie, curry or pasta sauce is to use a base that already contains all three.
Red Gold Concentrate gives you a smooth, scoopable blend of flame-roasted tomato, roasted onion and roasted garlic in one jar.
Open it, scoop out what you need and add it directly to the meal.
You get the flavour foundation of a sauce that has been properly prepared, without starting every recipe by peeling, chopping and frying the same ingredients again.