For the love of a caramelized onion: Sula’s Secrets

Despite how there’s no snow outside, it’s actually lovely out and how, sometimes, we can sneak out without a coat, it’s still technically Winter (I feel like I’ve made note of this before). That soup/stew/heavy-warm dish you look forward to around noon type season.

Curry, is something I personally crave on a regular basis, regardless of the time of year. Usually, I obsessive over it when I’m out running, especially when it’s cold. I could go on and on about how much I love curry but in the spirit of sharing random tricks from one self proclaimed foodie to another, I’d like to chat a bit about the virtue of the caramelized onion. Sounds simple but it’s often the secret ingredient for most prized backyard hamburgers or even the basis of any great sautéed dish.

When it comes to Indian cuisine, there are a few different ways to start off a good curry. Typically, ghee (clarified butter) is a major component. At Sula, we decided to change things up and make the caramelized onion approach because it allows us to offer a lot of vegan items on our menu, also because it’s a healthy approach and it adds a distinct flavor that’s incredibly good.

Now, writing a blog post about caramelized onions may seem on the rather dull side but if you’re totally into cooking, like me, what makes a dish great is the details. Because onions are sweet to start off with, cooking them slowly to draw out the sugar then allow that sugar to caramelize and become intense in its own right is a great starting point for whatever you’re trying to make. So if you’re not already taken by the caramelized onion approach, it’s never too late to give it a whirl.

Side note, because we love caramelized onions so much and also because a dish that’s a bit crunchy goes great with a cold drink, we have Onion Bhajia on our menu — basically deep-fried caramelized onions; not on the super healthy side, but they’re worth it every once in a while.