Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Starters & Side Dishes => Starters and Side Dishes Chat => Topic started by: SnS on June 29, 2008, 04:14 PM
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I was discussing curries with a friend in the local.
He's originally from Manchester and was describing a red onion salad that a lot of the restaurants in central Manchester supply as part of their pickle tray (to go with poppadoms).
It would appear that this is a speciality of this area. He says that the onions are bright red and spiced with something sweet, which gives it a really special flavour.
I've never come across this and would be interested in knowing more please.
SnS
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Yep Ive seen this its like this one (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2740.0) but prob more ketchup and red food colour, red wine vinegar unlikely thou.
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Are we talking about actual Red onions here or just the colour of the salad? I managed to emulate a lot of our local BIR spiced onions up here in Glasgow area and the secret is IMO a cheap tomatoe sauce that you can buy in the local Chinese supermarkets by the gallon drum. It's actually made in Glasgow too. You just ad mint sauce, chilli powder etc as usual but it does appear bright red. No need for vinegar as the sauce has plenty. That's probably why!
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i've seen a red onion salad in quite a few restaurants (mainly in Brum).
from tasting - i've always thought it is just white onion and tom puree.
if there are any other ingredients then it would have to be sugar in some form.
i would agree it's very good and goes well with poppadoms. i don't think it's quite as good as a top notch onion salad when its obvious fresh ingredients have been used including mint and cucumber. the trouble it's rare to find the top notch stuff (last place was in Bridgenorth on the seven).
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Im from Manchester, and I didn't realise that these "red onions" were typical of Mancunian T/A, BIR's (that is, I thought you had them everywhere).
It is defo, white onions, tommy ketchup and a pinch of paprika!
Great with the massive crisp's as my youngest calls them ;D
Ray
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My mate is Bangladeshi and has is own takeaway, simple recipe Onion finely diced, enough tomato puree to colour and a pinch of chilli powder to spice, Enjoy
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Hello rozzi.
Blimey mate where have you been, your last post was in 2007! :o
Do you still have contact with your BIR chef friend and have you progressed with your curry making?
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just been busy getting use to a land downunder. yes still have contact with my mate he has the red spice in Bolton. He sent me a book with some of his recipes in and customs confescated it but later let me have it. Think I'll have to find time to contribute to this site, cheers
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Im from Manchester, and I didn't realise that these "red onions" were typical of Mancunian T/A, BIR's (that is, I thought you had them everywhere).
It is defo, white onions, tommy ketchup and a pinch of paprika!
Great with the massive crisp's as my youngest calls them ;D
Ray
They do it over in Yorkshire too so it's not particular to the wa...oops! I mean MANCs :P Never been in a restaurant or takeaway that hasn't sold it TBH...Can't remember where SnS is from though lol
Looking forward to more posts from Rozzi too! ;D Any chance of a sly peek into that recipe book of yours? :)
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Think I'll have to find time to contribute to this site, cheers
Look forward to it. Have you found any restaurants in Australia that compare favourably with BIRs?
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I've never come across this. Though most Liverpool restaurants serve a dipping sauce (which I've never been able to replicate) which is red and sweet, almost like jam? I've had this in Bolton and Manchester too. It comes with the poppadums on the beginning of the journey.
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Hi VC,
"Red Onions" are very common place here in Manchester and it suprises me that you haven't come across them? With that said, I guess you are more likely to get them with TA pops rather than restaurant pops.
The usual pickle tray around these parts are generally made up of, red onions, sweet mango chutney, chilli jam/sauce, hot lime pickle, mild yogurt sauce and hot yogurt sauce.
I usually eat the lot before my main arrives and struggle to find room for it in the end lol ;D
Ray :)
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Last IR i went in the waiters said the Red Onion salad was made with just sweet chilli sauce http://www.auravita.com/product/Blue-Dragon-Sweet-Chilli-Dipping-Sauce.NAST11755.html?RefId=220&adid=NAST11755 (http://www.auravita.com/product/Blue-Dragon-Sweet-Chilli-Dipping-Sauce.NAST11755.html?RefId=220&adid=NAST11755)
I have made this for friends and they say its like our local TA (Eastern Spice, Tipton, West Midlands)
1 red onion finely chopped
1 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
fresh coriander finely chopped
Also i use another local that does curries not that good really but the BBQ stuff is really nice anyway they have a dipping sauce which is brown in colour
5 Tbsp of brown sauce
2 Tsp mint sauce
Roughly about one third of a cup of hot water
2 green chillis
Place on a low flame and bring to the boil and waiting till water evapourates to the same has runny treacle
Then wait till goes cool and enjoy
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Cheers guys
So the stuff is sweet chilli sauce? Boy is my face red!
I've never bought it as I always go for the hot variety, erk.
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Razor
I know what you mean, I do exactly the same! Somehow I always manage to polish off the main course though...
UncleFrank
Cool, I'll try them out, they sound pretty tasty. I followed your suggestion of putting cumin seeds in my spiced onions, a revelation! I'm sold. Cheers for that. :)
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Hi Vinda no problem the dips can be the most simple recipes ever just add this and thats it you can make a dip with hot chilli sauce and "red sauce" added to finely chopped onion and tomato.
I usually make my own dips up next time i do i will write the recipes down.
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Ah, you're the same as me then! I never write recipes down either.
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They just seem to work whenever i do do this (well nearly always)