Boiled Onion Paste

Just a few posts ago, I had written on lengths about the cuts of the onions and how it influences the dish. That post was about fried onion paste, this time we talk about boiled onion paste. 

The recipe for this paste is straight out of a Jiggs Kalra book (all of his books, have the same recipe). Incase you love Indian cuisine, you have to possess a Jiggs Kalra book, atleast one if not all.

Now various authors talk about additions of various spices to this paste, but having tried out addition of cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon etc., I go with Bay leaves and Black Cardamom as they pep up the flavors without overpowering the paste.

Boiled Onion Paste

Ingredients:
Onions, peeled, washed & roughly cut - 1 Kg
Bay Leaves - 3
Black Cardamom - 3

Method:
1. Add all ingredients in a handi alongwith 200 ml + 4 tsp water. (The onion to water ratio has to be 5:1)

2. Bring this to a boil and simmer till until then onions are transparent and the water has more or less evaporated.
3. Cool this mixture and transfer to blender. Make a puree.

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Fried Onion Paste

A lot of times, people find themselves stuck when it comes to adding specific pastes to Indian pastes, one of them being onion pastes. Just like a recipe calls for onions cut a specific way, so do some recipes when they call for a boiled onion paste or a brown onion paste (also called a Fried Onion Paste). The cut of the onion and the paste does make a difference to the dish, a very subtle difference but a difference surely.
This was a very important lesson that I received way back in 1997 while cooking in the management training kitchen at WMI (Welcomgroup Management Institute). Till then, I used to cut the onions any which way I felt like and mostly used onion pastes as I liked my gravies smoother. Else, sliced were much preferred, unless you were in the mood to finely chop the onions (believe me, when you have been chopping 20 odd kgs of onions everyday for a month, mood does come into play, when you have some leeway, like we had in the MT kitchen). Chef Manjeet Gill was visiting the WMI facility and dropped by the kitchen to see what my 3 other colleagues and I were upto. On seeing me slice onions for a specific dish, he walked me up to ask me what I will use it for. The dish in question called for chopped onions, and he promptly pointed it out and told me to correct it. I asked him as to what difference it will make to the dish and his reply was "plenty" atleast to the taste(summing it up. Can't remember the exact words).
Due to the huge respect for the man (his works are legendary and he's a fantastic man. Just met him a year back and I just go starry eyed meeting him), I promptly corrected the technique. But in a day or two, I tried the experiment of cooking up a dish three times, using chopped onions, sliced onions and fried onion paste. The difference was there ...the difference that makes one dish good and the other great.

Fried Onion Paste

Ingredients:
Onions - 1 Kg.
Yogurt- 100 gm.
Oil - For frying

Method:
1. Slice the onions.
2. Heat oil in a wok and saute onions till they are golden brown.
3. Remove onions on an absorbent paper to drain excess oil.
4. After they have cooled down, blend them in a processor with yogurt to a fine paste consistency.
5. Your fried onion paste is ready to use or store. (can be stored in an air tight container for 10-15 days).

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Kache Pyaaz ka Khatta ( Red Onions in tamarind water)

Alright this one doesn't have any photos to go with it. Simply, because I haven't got myself to trying this one out. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard this one was of absolute disgust...this couldn't be a dish I cried out aloud. But since then I have asked many people about it and they swear by it. So I'm publishing it, if you try it out, let me know how it turns out. Over the next few days, I might just make it.
Ingredients:
Red Onions - 2 No.s
Tamarind - 100 gm ( soaked in 1 ltr water for 4 hours)
Cumin Seeds - 10 gms
Mustard Seeds - 10 gms
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Slice Onions. Put them in a large bowl.
2. Strain the tamarind juice.
3. Pour the tamarind juice inot the bowl containing the onion slices.
4. Mix in the salt.
5. Roast the mustard seeds and cumin seeds slightly. Pour in the onion tamarind mix.
6. Mix well. Serve.

This one it's said is a good accompaniment for Khichadi.

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