Cold Onion Chutney Curry House Recipe | The Curry Guy (2024)

FAQs

Which onion is best for curry? ›

Onions are an essential part of everyday cooking in India and are found in many local dishes and are the base for curries. Some curries use a lot of onion, others just a small amount but onions are always in there somewhere. The best onions for use in curries are firm white onions.

Red onions have that delicious sweetness, depth and colour, and they also don't break down quite as quick as white onions, which makes them great for the more 'prominent' role in the curry. Please note, if you don't have both kinds of onions to hand, you can absolutely use whatever you have and it'll work great too.

Yellow Onions: The general cooking onion. Usually relatively cheap and plentiful, they're the go-to onion when cooks get cooking. The flavour is strong but mild, with an onion flavour that isn't overpowering. They often have a bit of sweetness to them, they caramelize nicely and they hold up well when cooked.

Desi tomatoes possess the vitamins and essential nutrients in the right amount. Hence best for curry is the desi ones.

Onions and tomatoes act as thickening agents for any curry. Smaller the pieces your onions are chopped into, the thicker your gravy will be. The ideal way to make the curry is to have finely sliced or chopped onions that will ensure a thick and rich curry.

Typically, when making an Indian curry, I heat oil, add whole spices, then add and cook onions, add and cook ginger + garlic, add dry spices + tomatoes, and cook the meat in the sauce.

Slow cooked garlic slivers are often added to curries to give them a deeper more complex flavour. I use this preparation when I want a garlicky flavour in curries such as Goan vindaloo and chicken chilli garlic.

Asafoetida is a gum from a variety of giant fennel, which naturally has a strong and pungent smell, rather like rotting garlic (as in foetid). It's a very useful spice for those who can't or won't eat onion or garlic, as it adds a similar depth and savouriness to food.

Do Indians use shallots or onions? ›

In most Indian cuisines, the distinction between onions and shallots is weak; larger varieties of shallot are sometimes confused with small red onions and used interchangeably.

The Vidalia is a type of sweet yellow onion. They're different from other types of yellow onions because of their high sugar content and low sulfur content. Most onions contain about 5 percent sugar, while Vidalias contain a whopping 12 percent.

Red onions

All types of onions are good for you, but this dark reddish-purple variety, sometimes called purple onion, has especially high levels of quercetin and other helpful plant compounds known as flavonoids. Flavonoids give many fruits, vegetables, and flowers their colors.

White Onions

If you love Mexican food, this is your go-to onion. With a bite that doesn't linger for too long, they add an onion-y brightness without overpowering other flavors. White onions are delicious when used raw—especially in salsa, salads, or sprinkled on tacos as a garnish.

White onions are probably the strongest-tasting onion on this list. They're typically used in Asian and Mexican dishes, as well as potato and macaroni salads. You can also sauté them, making them ideal for French onion soup or any other food in which you want to add sweet or sour flavor.

We tend to favor yellow onions. The white, sweet onions are a bit too sweet for our various curries, which are always slightly tart and tangy.

The Takeaway. For most cooked dishes, red and yellow onions are interchangeable, so feel free to use what you have on hand. But if you're looking for a gorgeous color—plus the antioxidant anthocyanins that come with that color—reach for spicy red onions and give your dish that dash of drama.

If you purée it first, you will have to dries up most of that flavor to cook onions. I suggest just chop and cook them till done and purée / blend after to bring out a smooth curry base. *If adding tomatoes, cook that in first and then blend.

Hi, Onions give nice gravy or curry consistency to chicken and mutton when you saute. It is used for base gravy for all kinds of non-veg dishes. Onions and tomatoes are a perfect combo when you cooked with chicken and mutton but you can also cook without onions as well.