I am now trying hard to reduce the oil content in the food i prepare … I tried cooking three cup keema in just two tablespoon oil …
The problem i faced was at the onion bhoono stage … it kept sticking to the bottom of the pan and i had to use water splash every 20 seconds .. and it took much longer for the onions to brown …
Those of you , who are used to using less oil in the salan , please guide me and tell me if there are any tips to do this tactfully ?
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
The only way I managed to do this was to actually sweat the onions over a low heat until they went mushy and slightly brown,but it did take forever.Sometimes I mix olive oil with my usual oil,if I’m feeling particularly good.
Also,I have found that red onions brown quicker then white ones..
Sorry,no other ideas…
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
sprinkle salt on your oinions to seep out the moisture and it will help them brown quicker
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Also, you can always brown a whole lot of onions separately and store them in a glass jar inside your fridge. You can use few tbsp's for different dishes. That would help you to keep the oil content low in your dishes.
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Also, you can always brown a whole lot of onions separately and store them in a glass jar inside your fridge. You can use few tbsp's for different dishes. That would help you to keep the oil content low in your dishes.
That or buy pre-fried onions desi stores and UK and US markets sells those. if you are worried that your home will smell like fried onions for one month if you fry a big batch of onions at one go.
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Bazaar bought onions canr be compard with home fried ones... Allah ko maano mirch bhai.
I fry the onions in lots of oil.... The do what tlk mentioned for the onions.... And the oil i save in a fancy oil bottle... That way even the oil has taste of onion to it... When im cooking.... I use that oil. It lasts since u dont have to use a lot (the onions being pre-fried).
Tlk... Apko niksik ne ek sughar aurat bana diya hai... Mubarak ho
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Bazaar bought onions canr be compard with home fried ones... Allah ko maano mirch bhai.
I fry the onions in lots of oil.... The do what tlk mentioned for the onions.... And the oil i save in a fancy oil bottle... That way even the oil has taste of onion to it... When im cooking.... I use that oil. It lasts since u dont have to use a lot (the onions being pre-fried).
Tlk... Apko niksik ne ek sughar aurat bana diya hai... Mubarak ho
Toh sasti wali na khareed karo na. Thoray paisay or daal k mahngi wali kharrda karo.
I agree with you to the extent if you use them as garnish they do not work the same as freshly fried one. The I started sauteing them in non stick pan and they turn out to be as fresh as frying them from scratch at home.
The US brand French's onion are not completely fried , but they can be made to conform to desi taste and texture by sauteing with a little oil/ghee/butter.
Try these two tricks sometime and then give me duain to make your workload lighter.
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Thanks guys .. my problem is that i dont fry sliced onions for the salan .. I have to blend them fine and then fry em ....
so taking the oil out of the paste can be a tough exercise .. hence why i asked if there are tricks ...
I am just thinking , but will this help : if I start with cooking the onion paste without any oil ... and when most of the water has dried out of it ... I add two tblsp oil ...?
I am already doing the salt thingy .,. Like I add salt in the oil before adding the onions but that isnt helping either ...
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Tlk... Apko niksik ne ek sughar aurat bana diya hai... Mubarak ho
kaash ke wo aap ko bhee eik sughaar aurat bana sakti ...
joking joking :D
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
i did t ht frying lots of onions and refrigerating them when ammi was in teh hospital and i had to stay with her at teh hospital for sometime as well as go to work and cook...but then khala's didnt let me cook after teh 1st day..
so i used it later on...
it saved a lot of time....
but my qs is...
the food definitely isnt as tasty when u use less oil....ok..so an inch of oil floating above salans isn yummy either..but a decent amount of oil is needed to make teh food yummy.right?
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Thanks guys .. my problem is that i dont fry sliced onions for the salan .. I have to blend them fine and then fry em ....
so taking the oil out of the paste can be a tough exercise .. hence why i asked if there are tricks ...
I am just thinking , but will this help : if I start with cooking the onion paste without any oil ... and when most of the water has dried out of it ... I add two tblsp oil ...?
I am already doing the salt thingy .,. Like I add salt in the oil before adding the onions but that isnt helping either ...
ohh i see what you mean, try blending the oinions in a tea spoon of oil and water first? That works for me when I make oinion paste
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
so an inch of oil floating above salans isn yummy either..but a decent amount of oil is needed to make teh food yummy.right?
how about freezing the salan after cooking and scooping the layer of oil/fat from the top before reheating?
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
freezing doesnt taste as good as fresh one does:bummer:
wht i usually do is…after i take out the sala in my plate…i dip tissue in it..it soaks the oil and then i throw the tissue…
but still its lots of oil…
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
Cb: why do u make a paste of the onions, if u dont mind me asking.
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
You can fry sliced onions in some oil andthen remove them onto a paper towel...that will absorb the excess oil...
You can store that oil or use it for a few dishes you will be making in the next few days ...
Also if you blend the onions to get a smooth gravy consistency,try to blend them after they are fried.I do it this way.
Also doesn't the onion paste splatter a lot when being fried...??
Re: Cooking in lesser oil ..
You can fry sliced onions in some oil andthen remove them onto a paper towel...that will absorb the excess oil... You can store that oil or use it for a few dishes you will be making in the next few days ... Also if you blend the onions to get a smooth gravy consistency,try to blend them after they are fried.I do it this way. Also doesn't the onion paste splatter a lot when being fried...??
Yep for ages this is the right desi tariqa of making onion paste for salans. The one CB is using is an innovation it will save time but will not save you from ending up lot of oil in salans.