Onions, Brown
Freshest in March and April.
Know your onions:
- Brown – pungent aroma and strong flavour, good for almost any cooked dish.
- Red or purple or ‘spanish’– milder, sweet and slightly sharp. This adds a purple haze and crunch to any salad, pokey bowl or side.
- White onions – not as strong in flavour (called 'sweet onions' for a reason). They're good for a BBQ skewer, or eaten raw in sauces, salads and sandos.
Did you know?
All cuisines worldwide — French, Italian, Indian, Japanese and more — place so much importance on the seemingly humble onion. Depending on how you cook this, it adds umami and depth, sweetness, and char. The length of cooking changes the sweetness and aromas (a properly sweated onion can be the difference between a mediocre or exceptional dish).
Top Tips
For tearless cooking, place onions in the fridge before chopping, and put on a fan to blow away odours
Do you suffer after eating onions? If you do, consider buying green onions or leeks instead and use the green parts only - these are lower in FODMAPs but still full of flavour. Asafoetida, an Indian spice, is also a good substitute that adds onion flavour without FODMAPs.
Why sweat or sauté an onion? Gently cook onion to soften its texture, increase its sweetness and to reduce the sulphur compounds.