Topic: Base Onion Cooking - Boiled Onion Paste

[JerryM]

Has anyone come across or tried using a "boiled onion paste" in making their base.

It refers to using pureed onions cooked in their own moisture without oil as opposed to chopped onions in water/oil to make the base sauce.

I see it as a sort of stage 1 base preparation before adding the veg, oil, water, spice etc.

I'm specifically interested in the difference between using blended onions before the cooking starts as opposed to the normal technique of just chopping them and blending after cooking.

[Bobby Bhuna]

Has anyone come across or tried using a "boiled onion paste" in making their base.

It refers to using pureed onions cooked in their own moisture without oil as opposed to chopped onions in water/oil to make the base sauce.

I see it as a sort of stage 1 base preparation before adding the veg, oil, water, spice etc.

I'm specifically interested in the difference between using blended onions before the cooking starts as opposed to the normal technique of just chopping them and blending after cooking.

I've heard it said (or read it written ) that this kind of technique is likely to make the base sauce bitter rather than sweet. I'm sure there's some simple chemistry to back it up. Sns is probably your man for this one - seems he's a bit of an onion chemistry obsessive ;D His thread on the subject might help explain things.

All that said, I've neither tried your suggested method, nor know of anyone else who has and as we all know, the proof of the pudding is in the eating! 

[JerryM]

thanks Bobby,

SnS is the man for sure.

i spotted the technique in the book, "Curry A tale of cooks and conquerors".

the book lists it as part of the evolution of curry but does not evaluate it (unfortunately).

it got me interested due to the onion boiling tests that i did a while ago (following SnS's prompt). these established the more water added at the start of cooking the less sweet the final result. also the new Bruce Edwards base recipe blends the garlic/ginger before cooking and i felt this made quite a difference to the "creaminess" of the cooked sauce.

i don't feel for 1 minute any of us would drop the oil & water but the up front blending might help.