Before you use one of my recipes, do skim through this post just to be safe in terms of my seasoning habits... Or you might just make either bland food or something as salty as the sea! I don't do measurements for seasoning and spices. It's all about the mood and my own likes and dislikes. A nice way of putting it is that I'm, 'artistic'. The real way of putting it is that I'm reckless... Unless I'm making a dish for someone else, I rarely stick to using the same spices each time.. The number of times I've an extra gingery dish or something too cinnamon-ey is not even worth calculating at this point... I'm getting off-point here but what I mean to tell you is that I have a very wide selection of spices and I really do try to use them in every way. And that means that I come up with combinations that are often new or just not widely used as far as I know... Or they just taste off. You can't always win and that's an important lesson. In
So you should have realised by now that every time I list onions in my ingredient list, I always list exactly which colour/type. So have you asked or wondered why I do that?
Well, I thought I should explain it a bit.
Red Onions
Characteristics: Thinner layers that are less meaty.
Although they are quite similar to the yellow ones, they do have their own moments and place in dishes. These are best to have fresh and really nice in salads or other raw dishes. The main reason is a bit vain- colour. With their purplish-red colour they really make a dish pop. Also, when cooked in a longer preparation, the colour washes out and they have a lesser impact than the yellow onions.
Yellow Onions
Characteristics: About fist-sized and have thick and tough outer skin as well as meaty layers.
This is the onion that is the most versatile and the one that you'll see the most often in my kitchen (partially due to my general dislike for onions. I only use them if I have to and until a couple of months ago, I couldn't stand eating them raw!)
The an reason it is always stocked in my house is because it is also the one used/needed the most often. They are well balanced in flavour and most suited for longer cooking time (like soups and stews). Beware, the longer you cook them the sweeter they get! Taste your food as you go!
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So, back in India, where I am originally from, we would generally use red onions for everything. Vanity or anything else aside, that was what was available and it didn't make a difference as far as we knew. And that isn't wrong. While red onions are more suited for raw dishes and yellow for cooked, it isn't the end of the world if you don't do exactly that. Just taste as you go to ensure that the dish is cooking as you want it to and with the flavour profile you like.
Tips & Tricks (While Prepping Onions)
Well, I thought I should explain it a bit.
Red Onions
Although they are quite similar to the yellow ones, they do have their own moments and place in dishes. These are best to have fresh and really nice in salads or other raw dishes. The main reason is a bit vain- colour. With their purplish-red colour they really make a dish pop. Also, when cooked in a longer preparation, the colour washes out and they have a lesser impact than the yellow onions.
Yellow Onions
Characteristics: About fist-sized and have thick and tough outer skin as well as meaty layers.
This is the onion that is the most versatile and the one that you'll see the most often in my kitchen (partially due to my general dislike for onions. I only use them if I have to and until a couple of months ago, I couldn't stand eating them raw!)
The an reason it is always stocked in my house is because it is also the one used/needed the most often. They are well balanced in flavour and most suited for longer cooking time (like soups and stews). Beware, the longer you cook them the sweeter they get! Taste your food as you go!
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Tips & Tricks (While Prepping Onions)
- To really draw out it's flavour, a good idea is to soak the sliced or diced onion in cold water or an ice bath for 10 minutes. This also helps in getting rid of that after taste, which is always a nice idea.
- Soaking in lime juice is another option! Or lemons, if you must be like this...
- Any onion (including scallions) makes me cry. Pretty much immediately. This is why I have a whole system in place where if I know I'm going to work with onions on a particular day, I pop the number needed in my refrigerator. If I forget to do that in the morning, I keep them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. I also always sharpen my knife right before I chop them to make sure I can finish my prep work faster and with less tears.
- Sometimes, I'll be extra-extra and also end up holding my breath if I know I only have to chop half an onion or just 1. That usually fails. Oh well~
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Hey there! Thanks for looking at my recipes! Would be great if you pass them on to others! Kcoolthxbye!