Is there something different I can do to onions to get more/different flavour out of them ?

I'm used to browning them in oil, I've baked them but that seems to mellow the flavour out (like it does with garlic), I've boiled them (using for hotdogs) and even steamed them (again for hotdogs)-

I'm thinking along the lines of odd methods that might enhance the flavour -

soaking them in vinegar so the pickle a little then frying ?

finely slicing, spreading out on a baking sheet and browning/crisping in the oven then adding to the frying pan?

storing in salt to make it dry up before frying ?

freezing to break down the cell walls so they cook in a different way ?

mixing with peppers and roasting in the oven then blending before frying ?

would any of that do a great deal ?.. would it be worth the effort and enhance a curry base ?.. would it be a complete waste of time ? Are there some methods you know of that help boost the flavour ?

Steve

Slice an onion into thirds width ways (so you have three thick circles) and pan toast them in a hot frying pan until soft and you see some charred bits. I sometimes make salsa by toasting all the ingredients that way.

You need someone like Lapis to tell you how to extract flavour from onions best.

Thanks Sid

and you may be right Mamta !

Steve

Nothing much to say on method, but I've recently been trying red (= purple) onions in Indian food, which I find interesting. We only ever used these in Greek Choriatiki salad.

Phil

Funny you should say that Phil, onions are red in India!

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=indian+onions&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=wVz&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=T8e-TuKSJ4Ti8QPQ--yHBA&ved=0CFIQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=715&sei=Vse-TomaDIfd8gOQ4qSpBA

Mamta that is a lot onions on your link

I went to an Indian restaurant recently and they seemed to use red onions in some of the dishes. Are there different to the red onions that we have in our supermarkets? We usually only put those in salads.

Yesterday someone demonstrated a slightly different way of cooking the onions for a curry. He started off by heating a pan on high heat and then added the finely diced onions and half a cup of water. Boiled the onions on the highest heat and when the water had gone from the pan and the mixture was dry again. Then he added oil (a fair amount) and stir fried the onions on high for about 15 minutes until they turned brown. Then he reduced the heat and allowed them to get nice and caramalised. Once the curry was cooked the sauce had a lovely sweetness to it.

I've never seen it done that way before.

Most Indian people I know do it the other way around. They fry the onions first, always to deep brown for Indian dishes, not golden as for western ones. They often add a tablespoon of two of water as the onions are frying, so they get brown as well as soft. Some restaurants grind the fried onions in a blender and then proceed with the rest of the 'masala making'. Many curries are garnished with dark fried onion slices at the end. I do this for biriyanies/pulaos and sometimes for meat curries, but not very often with curries. Although this makes them taste and smell better, they become far too rich for everyday consumption.

I have done a few experiments with onions over the years, and this is what I found.

Onion is made up mostly of water (~85%) and carbohydrate (up to about 14%), so not much else, except the flavour compounds. These are formed when the cells in the onion are ruptured by cutting or macerating. However, the flavours are released by the action of an enzyme on the contents of the cell, and it takes the rupturing of the cells to form the flavours. But if the enzymes/flavour compounds are allowed to continue to react, especially in the presence of excess water, off flavours and acids are produced. So the way to cook onions, if the off flavours and acids are not to be produced, is in oil.

However, as soon as the onion cells are ruptured, the enzymes will start to produce the acids and off flavours, unless put into oil straight away, or the cut onion is put into an acidic medium, like vinegar, lemon/lime juice or yoghurt. This slows down the action of the enzymes in the onion. The action of the enzyme is swift, in the presence of water, and the reaction is virtually over in two minutes, so if you don't want off flavours and bitter acids present in your dishes, cut the onion very quickly and transfer to a pan with hot oil in, as quickly as possible, and don't let the onion bits get anywhere near unacidifed water.

When the onion is frying, we are getting rid of the water in the cells. This takes quite a while, even after 20 minutes cooking at medium temperatures, some water still remains in the onion. Also if the onion pieces stick out of the oil, they will turn dark brown, and could take on a bitter taste. I have fried onion for over 90 minutes under oil without them burning, I think the secret is to cut the pieces into small dice (3-5mm), cook with moderate heat, and always keep the onion pieces under the surface of the oil, if possible.

This also applies to garlic, ginger, chillies and tomatoes, as well, although the time taken to drive off the water will be shorter. That is why these are added to the dish after the onions.

As the onion starts to cook, sulphur containing compounds are released, and it is these that are used by cooking meat to form new flavour chemicals. Onion has flavour chemicals with 2 sulphur atoms in, and garlic three (hing has compounds with 2,3 and four sulphur atoms in), so different results will be obtained depending on the ingredients.

HTH

? Lapis 2011