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British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Starters & Side Dishes => Starters and Side Dishes Chat => Topic started by: hezzie on July 17, 2013, 01:25 PM

Title: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: hezzie on July 17, 2013, 01:25 PM

How come Indian restaurants/takeaways onion is so mild, they don't seem to blow your head off with that awful astringent taste that any other raw onion has, they must do something to it.
I've tried all sorts of varieties and none have the mild sweet flavour of restaurant onions, I've tried spanish onions, white onions, red onions and can't find any that are mild.

Anyone know? (http://www.castandcatch.com/forum/images/smilies/blink.gif)

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion is so mild
Post by: DalPuri on July 17, 2013, 02:20 PM

If you're talking about onion salad, then it'll be either lemon or vinegar from mint sauce or lemon dressing.
Left for a minimum of 30 mins is enough time for the flavours to infuse and to tone down the rawness and the heat from the onions. 

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion is so mild
Post by: hezzie on July 17, 2013, 03:40 PM

Quote from: DalPuri on July 17, 2013, 02:20 PM

If you're talking about onion salad, then it'll be either lemon or vinegar from mint sauce or lemon dressing.
Left for a minimum of 30 mins is enough time for the flavours to infuse and to tone down the rawness and the heat from the onions.

I am indeed talking about onion salad Dal, thanks for that, we're just having a bbq so I'll douse some onion in lemon juice and see how it works out.

Thanks for your reply. (http://www.castandcatch.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbs.gif)

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: commis on July 17, 2013, 07:46 PM

Hi

Go to your local Asian grocer and buy Dutch grade 2.

Regards

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: dammag on July 17, 2013, 10:05 PM

Maybe they soak them in water? It's supposed to make them milder.

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: hezzie on July 18, 2013, 07:40 PM

Quote from: commis on July 17, 2013, 07:46 PM

Hi

Go to your local Asian grocer and buy Dutch grade 2.

Regards

We've got a great Asian supermarket nearby commis but I've never seen dutch grade 2, just cooking onions (very cheap price) and spanish onions but they weren't particularly mild.

I'll look out for the dutch ones though, thanks for that.

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: hezzie on July 18, 2013, 07:42 PM

Quote from: dammag on July 17, 2013, 10:05 PM

Maybe they soak them in water? It's supposed to make them milder.

I did wonder about that dammag but I didn't know anyone who'd tried it, I'll give that a blast too and see if it works out.

Cheers.

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: naga dave on July 18, 2013, 09:50 PM

No ! Just chop them well in advance, cover and leave to stand for a few hours. If you can prep them the evening before, you will have lovely mild sweet onion salad.
                                                                                        D.

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: commis on July 19, 2013, 08:34 AM

Hi

Hezzie. Those cheap cooking onions are usually Dutch grade 2. Bir TA work on the cheap. We are not talking fine dining.

Regards

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: rallim on July 20, 2013, 02:08 AM

Hi when in the Punjab staying with friends in a farming village, the village girls were hired to cook for us and they would soak the onions in water for quite a while and it was to take the bitterness away before cooking.

Regards

Title: Re: How come Indian restaurants onion are so mild
Post by: ligs on July 20, 2013, 11:35 AM

Hi hezzie I buy duch onions from the asian supermarket in rushholme they were ?1.49 for 9 kilo so cheap, when I make popadoms I like onions with tomato ketchup but the wife likes onions with fresh tomato.After a couple of hours or so my onions are very mild but the wives are always still sharp, there is definitely something in the ketchup sugar or vinegar maybe.