Indian Style Pickled Onions | Sirke Wale Pyaaz: Mouth puckering, crisp and tangy pickled onions made with only a few ingredients.
Indian style pickled onions are known for their beautiful, bright pink color and tart crunch. The Dhabas (roadside restaurants) in India are often remembered for the hot Tandoori rotis they serve alongside pink and pungent pickled onions. These onions make for a great accompaniment to any dish which is why many Indian restaurants serve them with your meal. Crunchy, tangy onions soaked in vinegar and salt take any meal to another level.
Making these crisp and tart onions only takes a few minutes with a handful of ingredients. I make small batches of them often as they are best when enjoyed within a few days. Some of you asked me if I used dye or beets to color the onions and I didn’t! Once the red onions soak in the vinegar water their natural colors release and they change into a beautiful magenta pink color.
You can use pearl onions or everyday red onions cut thinly, which is what I use. I like to cut my onions into rings because I find the loops are easier to scoop from the jar and I like the way they look. I slice them thin, a little less than 1/4-inch thick. They are one of my favorite condiments: I serve them with my chapli kebabs, imli chole, tandoori chicken and keema. I also add them in sandwiches, salads, wraps, pizzas, tacos & more, the possibilities are endless.
Pickled onions are best when stored in a glass or ceramic container. Many metals will react with the vinegar, and plastic will absorb the flavors. I like to use a nice glass jar so I can just grab the onions from the refrigerator and serve them without any fuss.
- 1 cup sliced red onions or whole pearl onions; peeled
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1-2 Serrano chili’s, slit
- In a pan warm the water, add the salt and sugar and mix until dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Add the vinegar and mix well.
- In a glass jar add the onions and chilis
- Top with the warm vinegar water.
- Cover the jar and keep it in the refrigerator.
- Use the onions after 24 hours.
The vinegar mixture can be used again to pickle the onions.
Just add more onions after the preivious ones are finished.
Enjoy,
I gave tried making this earlier but I never added water or sugar.Probably that’s the reason why they never tasted so well.Thank you for this recipe.
you’re welcome, hope you enjoy them
Thank you SO much for posting this recipe! I have been trying to figure out what this dish is called for the longest time. Can’t wait to make them myself 🙂
You are so welcome!!
I had these in an Indian style restaurant in Antigua. Really enjoyed them with tandoori chicken. So glad I looked up the recipe and so simple to make.
Can I make these with Brown onions? I have a kg of brown onions at home and would love to pickle them like this
they won’t be the same color and perhaps a bit lighter in flavor but yes you can
Thanks for this recipe.. Made it and it was the yummiest and sooo easy to make.
Had these at an Indian restaurant a couple of weeks ago. I can’t eat raw onions but couldn’t stop eating these. So happy to have found such a simple recipe. I’ll be making them this weekend, to eat next week.