Pickled Onion Salad - Indian Restaurant Style
Sirke Wali Pyaz
Mamta Gupta
Many of you have asked me for this recipe over a period of time. Small, pinkish pickled onions are often served in Indian restaurants world over with pre-dinner drinks. Having asked at several popular restaurants in Delhi and Dhabas (roadside eateries) in Uttranchal province of Northern India, this is the recipe I have come up with. The onions are prepared fresh every morning for that days use. You can serve them for a couple of days after making them, but they loose their crispness as the time goes. The quantities given are approximate and can be adjusted to taste.
Ingredients
250 gm. small onions/shallots /large spring onions, peeled. You can pickle red onions, peeled and cut into large chunks.
2-2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. salt, adjust to taste
Couple of small slices of beetroot for colour
3 cups white or light balsamic vinegar or cider vinegar or any other vinegar of choice. It should not be a dark coloured or strong vinegar.
1-2 tsp. sugar (optional)
Instructions
Place prepared onions in a jar or a bowl. Keep aside.
Boil water and beetroot together. Take beetroot out and discard.
Add salt and mix well. Leave to cool completely.
Place onions in a jar.
Mix salted water with vinegar. Adjust salt to taste.
Pour over the onions in the jar/bowl. Onions should be fully covered.
Leave for a few hours.
Serve drained (without the liquid).
Also see Salad Selection and Pickle and Chutney Selection.
Notes
If you can not find fresh beetroot, leave it out. You can use food colour instead, but I prefer to stick to natural ingredients when possible.
Some restaurants add a few drops of olive oil too.
One restaurant in Delhi added whole spices like cinnamon, black pepper and bay leaves to the water during boiling. However, I find that the plain onions, without any spices, are the best.
Picture by Steven Lister.