I don't normally think of onions as being the main ingredient of a dish. However, @progressivechef proposed onions as this week's ingredient for the Steemit Ironchef competition, and after getting into the kitchen to prepare an onion-centric meal, I have found a new appreciation for this aromatic root veggie! So thank you, @progressivechef for setting this week's Steemit IronChef competition ingredient as the onion!
For this dish, I made miniature onion samosas with fragrant wrappers, pickled red onions, spicy onion chutney, roasted spiced baby onions, and spring onion (scallion) sauce.
The samosas were surprisingly easy to make. A dough made of self-rising flour, salt, butter, and water also includes coriander and cumin to add additional flavor to the wrapper. On the inside of the samosas, we've got finely diced white onion, white and sweet potato, garlic, cumin, chili, curry powder, turmeric, lemon juice, and cilantro, sauteed in olive oil and allowed to cool.
To make the samosas, I rolled the dough out into 6 inch circles, cut each circle in half, made a cone out of the semi-circle, and then added the filling. Using water I sealed all of the edges of the dough, and then each samosa got a quick fry in vegetable oil.
Full of fragrant spices and bright citrus combined with the aromatic onions in the different components of the dish to create a meal that is pleasing to the palate. Now that I know how to make samosas, I might need to put them in as part of our regular dinner rotation!
For the onion chutney, I sauteed olive oil, lime juice, tomato paste, paprika, finely diced jalapenos, curry powder, a pinch of sugar, and cumin over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. I then transferred the tomato paste mixture to some raw diced white onions and cilantro. The residual heat of the tomato and spice mixture softened the onions and allowed them to release additional flavor.
For the red onion pickles, I combined thinly sliced red onion with white vinegar, sugar, and salt, and added water to cover the onions. These sat on the counter for about 1 hour while I prepared the rest of the dish. They have a perfectly sweet and sour flavor, and the pickling liquid only slightly softened the onions so they maintained a pleasant crunch.
The roasted spiced onions were so easy and so delicious - I cut nearly all the way through the onion several times from top to bottom, and tossed the entire little onions in olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt. Covered with foil, these little onions roasted in a 425F onion until they were soft throughout.
For the spring onion sauce, I blended roughly chopped spring onions, olive oil, salt, and lime juice until the mixture was nearly smooth. This sauce is bright and lively!
Here's my proof photo for this week:
I hope you've enjoyed this recipe, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
If you're interested in being a part of the Steemit IronChef Competition, don't forget to check out the details at @steemit-ironchef. A huge thanks to @progressivechef for coming up with this awesome way to showcase our food creations and build community with each other here on Steemit. Looking forward to continuing this competition!!
All content and images by @jaymorebeet, taken on December 12, 2017 with a Canon 7D Mark II.
I love onions so much! I really love the color and texture in the plating it is such wonderful eye candy.
Thanks @enjar for your support and kind words :)
Looks so pretty ... wonderful little onion bites ! Very inspiring !
Aw thanks @globaldoodlegems :)
Absolutely gorgeous presentation and great attention to detail with all your onion bites. You should be really chuffed with yourself!
Thanks @gardeningchef for such kind words!
Nice post @jaymorebeet!!! I just had samosas at our pot luck lunch at work yesterday. They're so good!!!
I can't get enough of them! I made them small so that I can eat more of them :)
This is amazing. I really enjoy samosas and these do seem "not too hard" to make. Good luck in the competition.
Thanks @lrich! Samosas are so good! Now i wonder what other fillings to use with them?!?
True! Onions are essential in so many dishes but as a main ingredient? But you managed it perfectly to create a beautiful plate with various dishes! Incredible! It looks so appealing but I also would be afraid to destroy it! 😄
Thanks @pusteblume! I had no problem destroying it :) Get in my belly!
😜 😋
Such wonderful photography and presentation :-)
Thank you @foodflaneur! I'm flattered!
What an artistic plate! Those pickled onions and the roasted onions are my favorites -- and the somosas. Well, all of it! I bet that green onion sauce would be great on potatoes or eggs, too!
Thanks :) You are a mind reader - i totally used the scallion sauce with some scrambled eggs, greens, and beans yesterday - so good!
That's good eatin'! :D
Great narrative & accompanying photography. I'm not usually a big onion fan but this food looks so good!
This post has been deemed resteem & upvote worthy by your friendly @eastcoaststeem ran by @chelsea88 (not a bot)
Thanks @eastcoaststeem :) Onions all around!
Here we go again with another wonderful entry from you my friend! Your samosas look so nicely done!