Aish Cooks

I keep wanting to buy a bag of ready-fried onions from the Indian grocers but always forget to do so. So when I actually need them for biryani, I end up making a batch at home. What I am trying to tell here is that if you can pick some of these at the store you really don’t have to bother making them yourself. Cause the trouble’s not quite worth it – all that time standing by the hot oil and the frying and time taken to make perfectly golden fried onions.. much ado for a rather simple thing I’d say. Unless, you really really insist on home-made everything. In that case, here’s how you can make a batch right at home!

PS: If this were a precursor of things to come, what would you guess that to be? 😉

Fried Onions aka Biryani Onions

Makes: 1/2 cup | Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Pat-dry the sliced onions using paper towels, to remove as much moisture as possible. This helps them get a crispy fried texture instead of staying soggy.
• Heat oil for frying in a heavy bottom-pan or fryer. You need enough oil to deep-fry the onions, which can be done in batches as well.
• Add the sliced onions when the oil is hot enough (approx. 350 degrees F) – too hot will burn the onions and make them very dark, not hot enough will not turn them crispy.
• Note: Don’t crowd the pan and do it in batches if needed.
• Fry by gently tossing around on medium heat until the onions shrivel and start to turn golden brown. The tossing helps fry and gain color evenly.
• Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate  lined with paper towels to help drain off the excess oil.
• The fried onions will continue to cook and turn darker even when they’ve been removed from the oil due to the heat. So take them out a tad bit sooner than later.

Allow the fried onions to cool and then store in air-tight containers or zip lock bags int he freezer for up to 2 or 3 months.