Pickled Onions | Spiced Onion | Sirke Wala Peyaz

 

September 24 

Today I am going to talk about a very easy preparation. Its actually a ridiculously easy preparation which you can prepare in 5 minutes flat. In its basic form Pickled onions is nothing but Onions soaked overnight in a brine of vinegar, salt and sugar. But the one that I am going to talk about is spiced with a few elements to jazz up the flavors. The desi name for this is Sirke wala peyaz. Sirka is nothing but Vinegar.

We didn't really grow up seeing a restaurant culture during our childhood. Food meant only home cooked preparations. If we wanted to have something special, we would request our moms to make it for us. And specials were reserved for special days - weekends, birthdays, anniversaries, guests at home or the festive season. Hence each special had a very valuable place in our heart. Like the mutton curries which were only made on Sundays were traditionally called as Robibarer Mangshor Jhol or the Sunday Mutton Curry. Or the Rice kheer which was specially cooked on someone's birthdays. Or the seasonal specials like Ilish Macher jhol ( Hilsa fish curry). Each of these dishes has a box full of precious memories attached to them and will be the fodder for the stories which we will be telling our next generation. 

I grew up in IIT Kharagpur campus as dad was a professor there. During those days, like 20 years ago, the campus had only one shady food joint called 'Tikkas' outside the Institute premise where they served everything from breakfast to dinner. It was like the hangout mecca for both the Institute students, professors as well as kids of the faculty families. That was one place where there was no stature difference. The person sitting next to you in the table might be a day laborer and yet we didn't mind sharing the space with them. That place just had a different charm altogether in the non-restaurant era. So many innovations might have happened sitting on those rickety benches over cups of thick ginger tea and medu vada. So many love stories might have blossomed under the tin roof of the joint while waiting for the rain to subside during monsoons. And so many heated political discussions might have originated while munching on the piping hot samosas with the tangy imli chutney. We were happy with that. And we never felt that we needed some upscale, air conditioned space to elevate our moods for having a meal.

It was only during the college days that I was formally introduced to the concept of a proper restaurant. And that's when I first saw these tiny onions swimming in a pool of vinegar being served at the table and called 'sirke wala peyaz'. The first thought was, what have they done to the good old onions which I could have as salads. And then slowly I realised that this was a curated accompaniment quite common across all restaurants in the country. It took time for me to grow a liking for them. But gradually I did start liking them with a few homemade customizations. 

The best thing I like about these pickled onions over the desi version is they are easy to eat and more flavorful. Since you cut the onions in slices and place it in the brine, all the parts of the onion are fully exposed to the brining process unlike the desi version wherein mainly the outer layer of the tiny onions are pickled better than the internal ones. 

These things are very versatile. You can add pickled onions to pretty much anything and it will enhance the taste . They add a perfect, tart crunch to your rice bowls, burgers, subs, sandwiches,  salads, nachos, tacos, bhel and really anything else you can think to add them to. They taste best when you give them a day to rest and soak up the brine. Also it is very easy to preserve, just put it in a closed jar and in to the refrigerator and it will be good for more than a week.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Pickling Time : Overnight

Serving - 2 to 3 serving

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Garlic Pod - 2 fat , bruised
• Dried Red Chilli - 2
• Pepper Corn - 1/2 tsp
• Star Anise - 1
• Rosemary Twig - 2
• Beet - 1 small, diced
• Vinegar (Red, White, Apple Cider) - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp.
• Water - 100 ml

Equipment:

• Deep Pan or vessel
• Air Tight Mason Jar

Method:

1. Combine water, diced beet, bruised garlic, star anise, peppercorn, sugar and salt in a pan or vessel and bring it to a slow simmer on heat. take off flame and let the solution come to room temperature

2. Meanwhile slice the onions in roundels and place them in a mason jar or any jar you have. Split the red chilies and add to the jar.

3. Now pour the above solution with all the ingredients into the jar till 3/4th capacity. I have taken a 150 ml jar. 

4. Top it off with the vinegar and close the lid of the jar. Now give it a gentle shake to mix the vinegar in the solution.

5. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before. Then you can refrigerate overnight for a good pickled effect on the onions. Drain the onions from the brine before using.

This can be made well ahead of time. It stores nicely in the fridge for about a week.