Pickled Onions is a tangy accompaniment that is very common in all North Indian restaurants across India. Basically, these small, pink or red onions go great with rich Indian food.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Condiment, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 15 to 20 small red onions (or 8 to 10 shallots or pearl onions)
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
  • ¼ cup water (- filtered)
  • ¾ teaspoon salt (or add as required)

Method

  1. Peel small red onions or shallots or pearl onions.
  2. Rinse the peeled red onions in water and drain them very well.
  3. Place all the onions in a glass jar, ceramic jar or any other non-reactive jar.
  4. Add the vinegar, water and salt to the onions. Alternatively, you can mix vinegar, water and salt in a bowl, then add this mixture to the onions.
  5. Shake the bottle. Seal the jar with its lid.
  6. Let the onions sit in the vinegar solution for 2 to 3 days.
  7. Shake the bottle 2 to 3 times a day.
  8. Refrigerate after the onions are pickled. Keep the jar in the refrigerator. Ensure that the jar is always sealed and closed with its lid when refrigerating.
  9. Serve the Pickled Onions with any rich Indian dish.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.