Sirkewale Pyaaz (Cocktail Onions)
I mentioned in an earlier post that I am saving this particular post intentionally for my #Thursdaytip on my Facebook page-The Inconsistent Chef. This is something I so dearly love since my childhood...the dabba style onions!
I just love the colour and the taste and am so elated to share this with you. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the colour came from beets. I recently discovered a related post and jumped with glee while viewing the method and felt I must share this happiness with my readers in this blessed space of mine.
In a vessel with hot water add in a roughly chopped beetroot and a tsp. or more of sugar, adequate salt for pickling and stir it thoroughly. To this add whole spices of your choice-cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, pepper corns or a star anise. Mix and match. No hard and fast rules here-try to use at least any four of them.
Close it with a lid and leave it undisturbed for a while so that the spices will release their aromas and flavours into the water. After a brief interval, take your shallots/sambar vengayam/Kochu ulli/Madras Onions and slice them midway after peeling them in a crisscross manner such that you do not slice them completely. This allows the pickling flavours to settle within those cavities.
Once the spices have been infused in the hot water, remove the lid and take an extremely clean and dry bottle and strain and fill this liquid into the bottle about one-third the volume of the bottle. Carefully place those shallots into this and pour the remaining two-thirds with vinegar which helps to preserve this. Shake well so that both liquids merge well and your onions are completely dunked in this. Leave them like so and use it after 12 hours or more.
Best to prepare them in small batches for the week. Refrigerate and store them carefully when not in use and always use a dry spoon while extracting them.
Your dabba style cocktail onions are ready for use at home.
Enjoy them with your rotis or in any which way you like them. These are the kind of pickled onions that our Indian truck driver bhaiyas (brothers) would be having along with their parathas when they stop over for their breakfast or lunch breaks.
I just love the colour and the taste and am so elated to share this with you. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the colour came from beets. I recently discovered a related post and jumped with glee while viewing the method and felt I must share this happiness with my readers in this blessed space of mine.
Once the spices have been infused in the hot water, remove the lid and take an extremely clean and dry bottle and strain and fill this liquid into the bottle about one-third the volume of the bottle. Carefully place those shallots into this and pour the remaining two-thirds with vinegar which helps to preserve this. Shake well so that both liquids merge well and your onions are completely dunked in this. Leave them like so and use it after 12 hours or more.
Best to prepare them in small batches for the week. Refrigerate and store them carefully when not in use and always use a dry spoon while extracting them.
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