Food Talk
 Know your onions

A must for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare, onions seldom occupy the centrestage, observes Pushpesh Pant

Good old onions do their best to serve us. They are the base of most of the gravies, providing body, if not the soul, to countless dishes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Historians tell us that onions originated in North Asia and have been grown for more than 5000 years. Scientists have discovered that they have a very few calories and are a rich source of sulphur. The French swoon over their French onion soup and cordon bleu chefs wax eloquent about it.

Only the strictest of the shaakahari eschew the beautifully pungent bulbs and perhaps with the exception of the potato, no other vegetable can claim to be the darling of the not-so affluent. Pyaaz ke saath roti khana is just a little bit better than making do with salt. The best is that you don’t even have to cook the onions. Muthmaar pyaaz transports even the mundane rustic fare to sublime. The wonderful crunch of raw onions is greatly valued even by the gourmet. No self-respecting dhaaba can ever skip the sirkewale pyaaz. And, can you imagine saambar without the pearl like Madras onions?

The price of onions has long been considered — at least in India — the best index of inflation and a spiraling increase has brought down a government in the nation’s Capital in the recent memory. Not knowing your onions is synonymous with unpardonable ignorance.

What is intriguing is that seldom are the onions given their due. There are the pakoda and bhajiya and the pyaaz ki kachori but that does not seem to do justice. They are visible in salads, garnishes or tempering, even as sidekicks in fillings humbly stretching a more aromatic and expensive masala but never allotted to occupy centrestage. Well, almost never.

In Rajasthan, where greens are scarce, and fresh veggies till recently were expensive, the denizens of the desert gratefully acknowledge their debt to this "available year round" friend and treat themselves, and guests, to kandhe ki subzi where pyaaz is the star and not a mere accompanist.

Kandhe ki sabzi

Ingredients

Onions 1/2 kg
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Cooking oil 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Garlic paste 4 tsp
Ginger paste 2 tsp
Tomatoes (chopped) 250gm
A pinch kasoori methi (crushed)
Green chillies (slit) two

The filling

Amchoor/mango powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Cumin Powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
A pinch of black rock salt
Sugar (optional) 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

Peel, wash and make criss-cross incisions on top of the onions for filling. Prepare the filling by mixing all ingredients listed under this head. Pack equal quantities of the filling between the incisions in the onions and reserve for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, stir over medium heat until the seeds begin to splutter, add garlic and ginger pastes, stir-fry until the moisture evaporates, add green chillies and stir-fry for about a minute. Then add coriander, red chilies and turmeric (all dissolved in 3tbsp of water), stir for a minute, add tomatoes and stir-fry until the tomatoes are completely mashed. Now gently place the onions filled with spice paste in the pan with salt, stir, reduce to low heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, but not squishy. Sprinkle kasuri methi, stir, remove and adjust the seasoning.

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