HOW TO MAKE INDIAN ONION PASTES

Indian onion pastes are a powerful addition to your arsenal in making curries. Both fried onion paste, and boiled onion paste are used in Indian restaurants but are not commonly featured in curries cooked at home. That’s a pity, they are easy to make and store well in the freezer. And they are not just limited to Indian cookery, just read on. Also take a look at our Indian Flavouring Pastes post to complete the picture.

Indian Onion Pastes

How to use

There are an endless number of recipes for these pastes, some add ginger-garlic paste to the mix, others will add spices. My preference for the fried version is to produce a plain paste as this gives me the most flexibility in its use. I just love the deep richness. And quite apart from making a curry these pastes can be useful in enriching a soup or stew for the family meal.

Why not make a couple of versions. One for curries with a dash of your favourite spices added and one for everyday use with herbs like thyme or sage cooked along with the onions. Instead of thickening your sauce with stodgy starch add a spoonful of fried onion paste instead. Game dishes work well with some paste and a dash of good red wine or balsamic vinegar to provide a kick to the flavour.

Fried Onion Paste

750g red onions

3tbsp vegetable oil.

Cooking time 25- 40 mins

This principal of cooking the onions is remarkably similar to a French Onion Soup. The sugars in the onions need to be released slowly and allowed to form caramel on the base of the pan. This is where the rich depth of flavour will be produced. If you have ever had an insipid French onion Soup is because this stage was hurried during cooking.

Allow yourself a good half an hour to fry the onions. It’s a good idea to make the paste while other cooking is going on, so you can keep a close eye on the pan without getting bored.

Cooking the paste.

Peel and slice the red onions making sure you remove the root before slicing.

Choose a pan not too deep with a broad base, a deep sided frying pan is ideal. Pop the pan over a medium heat and add the oil followed by the onions. Fry the onions gently with the lid at first until they soften and release the sugary juices. Then remove the lid and turn the heat up slightly to help them colour. It’s important that the onions gently brown to from a deep rich flavour. Too high a heat will simply burn the edges and become bitter. Stir the pan frequently folding the onions over from top to bottom.

As the onions soften down the base of the pan will take on a golden glaze. Add two or three tablespoons of water to the pan and gently, stir the bottom of the pan to lift the glaze. Stir this back over the onions and return to the heat. The best tool for this by far is a flat silicone spatula, don’t use a wooden spoon as far too little of the spoon makes contact with the base of the pan.

Storing the paste.

Keep repeating this process over and over until you have a thick, golden-brown mass in the pan. Let the pan cool, then process the onions to a smooth paste. The paste can be stored in a clean lidded jar (check out on how to sterilise your storage jars). Pour a little oil on top of the paste to keep out the air and store in the fridge for up to a week. The more practical method is to freeze the paste in ice cube trays. You can then add the paste into a curry directly from the freezer.

Boiled Onion Paste

4 white onions

3 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Optional coconut milk

Cooking time 20-25 mins

Peel, remove the root and roughly chop the onions. Pop them into a pan with a well-fitting lid and add the spices. Add some water to the pan to come no more than halfway up the onions then bring the pan to the boil. Place the lid onto the pan and reduce the heat so the pan is at a steady simmer.

Don’t boil the pan too violently or all the water will be lost, and the onions will burn spoiling the paste and leaving you with a lot of scrubbing. The objective is to cook the onions is the smallest amount of water that is practical. The more water we use, the more flavour we lose into the water. You may need to check the pan from time to time to make sure it’s not becoming too dry.

When the onions are nice and soft, (about 20 minutes cooking) remove the lid and increase the heat a little to evaporate off as much water as possible. But be careful not to let the pan dry out completely. Take the pan off the heat and let cool a while, then remove the spices. Using a perforated spoon lift the onions into a food processor and process to a paste. Use a little of the water if needed to make a smooth paste without been runny., the balance of the water been discarded.

Ringing the changes.

Try using two thirds coconut milk and one third water to cook the onions. To store ether, keep in a sterilised jar in the fridge of freeze in ice cube trays.

You could make ether or both of the onion pastes depending on the type of curry you want to make. My advice is definitely make the fried version and try it out in your gravies and stews as well as in a curry. Give it a go, if you fall in love with the concept its easy to double the recipe as long as your pan will take it.

Enjoy Life!

John.

©John Webber. 2023