|
[1] A yummy twist for onion ring fans: spiced onion rings with spicy ketchup (photo © Maya Kaimal).
[2] Chickpea flour (photo © Quay Naturals).
[3] Whole and ground cumin (photo © The Spice House).
[4] Turmeric, a relative of ginger, comes from the rhizome (root) of a native Asian plant. It is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (photo © Burpee).
|
|
If you’re looking for interesting Super Bowl fare, add a spin to onion rings with this recipe from Indian food doyenne Maya Kaimal (find more of her delicious recipes at MayaKaimal.com).
Serve it with spicy ketchup—store bought or home made, by mixing some heat into your regular ketchup.
The recipe follows, but first:
> The history of onion rings is below.
> The history of onions.
> The different types of onions: a photo glossary.
> The year’s 5 Indian food holidays.
> The years 24 fried food holidays are below.
> The years 6 onion holidays are also below. National Onion Ring Day is June 22nd.
> More uses for onions.
> Below: More special onion ring recipes.
> Below: Cooking frozen onion rings in an air fryer.
RECIPE: BHAJI, INDIAN-STYLE ONION RINGS
Ingredients For 2 Servings
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil for deep frying, or as needed
2 cups chickpea flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ cups water
1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia), peeled, cut into ½-inch thick rings
Plus:
Maya Kaimal Spicy Ketchup (or here’s a recipe tpmake your own spicy ketchup
Preparation
1. HEAT the oil in a wok or 4-quart pot over medium heat, to 350°F.
2. MIX the chickpea flour, cumin, cayenne, turmeric and salt in a medium bowl. Add the water and stir until batter is formed. It should be just thick enough to coat an onion ring without sliding off too quickly. Adjust with more water if necessary.
3. DIP the onion rings into batter and coat each thoroughly. Deep-fry the rings, in 3 or 4 batches, in the oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
4. SERVE with spicy ketchup.
THE HISTORY OF ONION RINGS
Fried onion rings have a surprisingly murky history for such a popular dish. The exact origins are debated, but here’s what we know:
The earliest known recipe for something resembling onion rings appears in an 1802 English cookbook called “The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined,” by John Mollard.
It describes cutting onions into rings, dipping them into a batter, and frying them. These were meant as a garnish than eating onion rings as a standalone dish, such as evolved in the U.S.
American-style onion rings seem to have emerged in the early 20th century. A recipe appeared in Women’s Home Companion in 1905, which means that they were known earlier.
There are records that fried onion rings were served at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville North Carolina, shortly after it opened in 1913. A few years later politician William Jennings Bryan’s recipe for them appeared in a Boston newspaper, in which he said that he first encountered them at the Inn. [source].
Bryan’s recollection as well as the 1905 recipe settle the question of whether french fried onion rings were the 1920s invention of a Pig Stand in Texas, as frequently claimed on the internet. They were not.
Helping the popularity was a 1933 Crisco advertisement in the New York Times Magazine, featuring a recipe for “French Fried Onion Rings.”
(The article continues below the photo)
|
[5] One of our favorite sides…with a beer (photo Pixabay).
In the 1930s onion rings became more common in restaurants, likely aided by improvements in cooking oil and deep fryers. Then, and for several decades to follow, they were usually featured as an accompaniment to a steak.
In the heart of the Depression, Schrafft’s restaurants advertised its Sizzling Steak Combination: “With it you get generous helpings of French fried potatoes, onion rings or a fresh vegetable, a green salad, and a pot of Schrafft’s coffee, $1.50.” It ended with the tagline, “A Man’s Meal.”
Onion rings were often specifically marketed to men. Whether women shied away from them because of possible “breath contamination” or the high price of a steak meal is unclear.
At the time, onions in general carried a stigma. At various times in 20th century, they were characterized as “ordinary and even common,” as breath contaminators, and as food that restaurant kitchen workers did not like to handle (because of burning eyes?).
Yet, by 1969, according to a search by Claude A.I., one writer acknowledged that, after French fries, onion rings “must be the all time favorite accompaniment to hamburgers.”
Frozen Onion Rings
According to one source, the debut of the frozen onion ring egan in 1955. A Nebraskan named Sam Quigley started a company to create products for the food service industry that would eliminate work in the kitchen. He supplied restaurants with frozen, fry-n-serve hand-breaded onion rings.
In the beginning, he sold them out locally from his storefront in Nebraska but the business quickly took off and by 1959, the demand was so great that a factory he built a factory to make them faster.
Another big break came in the 1960s, when the A & W chain restaurant added onion rings to its menus [source].
Beer batter onion rings became a “thing” in the 1980s, as a menu item at casual dining chains like Houlihan’s. Beer batter itself wasn’t a new cooking—it had been used for fish and for much longer. But it gave a “happening” cachet to everyone else’s onion rings.
The Bloomin’ Onion
Though not ring-shaped, Outback Steakhouse’s “Bloomin’ Onion” may have propelled deep fried onions to their historic pinnacle both in terms of fat and calorie load as well as price.
It was introduced by Outback Steakhouse in 1988, the year the restaurant chain was founded. It quickly became their signature appetizer and remains one of the most iconic menu items in casual dining‡‡. The Bloomin’ Onion inspired quite a few variations (Texas Roadhouse’s Cactus Blossom, Lone Star Steakhouse’s Texas Rose, state fair fare).
The basic concept involves cutting a large onion to create a “flower” appearance, battering and deep-frying it, then serving it with a creamy dipping sauce (Outback’s signature sauce is a spicy, mayo-based blend).
[7] The Bloomin’ Onion (photo © Outback Steakhouse).
Onion Rings Today
Per a search with Claude A.I., we learned that more than 200,000 U.S. restaurants currently offer onion rings on their menus. As with everything else on menus, the category is getting creative using different types of onions, coatings, and seasonings to excite the consumer palate. Some examples:
Gourmet twists: Panko-crusted rings served with artisan dips like truffle aioli or chipotle honey mustard.
Customization: Some chains like BurgerFi offer customizable onion rings with options like Urban Style (garlic aioli, fresh herbs, aged parmesan), Cajun Style, and Truffle Style.
Cheese-stuffed: Thick onion slices stuffed with melty cheese, creating a gooey cheese pull when bitten into.
Healthier options: Baked onion rings and versions made with gluten-free batters.
Fusion flavors: In addition to the Indian spices above, how about:
African/Ethiopian: berbere spice blend (with fenugreek, cardamom, coriander, and chili).
Asian: Chinese five-spice (sweet-savory complexity); Japanese shichimi togarashi (seven-spice blend) for umami heat; Korean gochugaru (red pepper flakes) with sesame.
Caribbean: jerk seasoning with allspice and thyme; Scotch bonnet or habanero-based spice blends (hot stuff!).
Middle Eastern: za’atar, sumac, and sesame seeds (herbal notes); baharat spice blend (cinnamon, clove, and cardamom notes); dukkah Egyptian nut and spice blend mixed into the breading.
Mediterranean: herbes de Provence; harissa spices (cumin, coriander, caraway, chili); Aleppo pepper for mild, fruity heat.
Mexican/Latin American: Tajín chili-lime seasoning for tangy heat; chipotle and smoked paprika for smokiness; adobo seasoning with oregano and garlic.
Cooking Frozen Onion Rings
The consumer market for frozen onion rings is also growing. So if you want to use your air fryer:
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C). A light spray of cooking oil can help the rings crisp up even more (and certainly more than oven-baking).
Cook for 8-12 minutes, depending on thickness and your air fryer model. Shake the basket or flip them halfway through for even cooking.
Don’t overcrowd the basket: the food needs space for air to circulate.
Try any of the spice blends above.
[6] Frozen onion rings can be seasoned with spices (Gemini photo).
THE YEAR’S 24 FRIED FOOD HOLIDAYS
March 14: National Potato Chip Day
March, 3rd Saturday: National Corn Dog Day*
Lent, 1st Friday: Friday Fish Fry Day
April 20: National Cheddar Fries Day
June 10: National Egg Roll Day
June 12: International Falafel Day
June 22: National Onion Rings Day
July 6: National Fried Chicken Day
July, 2nd Friday: National French Fry Day
July 3: National Fried Clams Day
July 11: National State Fair Food Day
July 16: National Corn Fritters Day
July 29: National Wing Dayv
August 12: National Julienne Fries Day
September 5: World Samosa Day
September 20: National Fried Rice Day
September 26: National Dumpling Day
October 2: National Fried Scallops Day
October 8: National Pierogi Day
October 25: National Greasy Foods Day
October 26: National Chicken Fried Steak Day
November 1: National Deep Fried Clams Day
November 16: National Fast Food Day
December 21: National French Fried Shrimp Day
Plus:
June 25: National Catfish Day
October 11: Southern Food Heritage Day
September 9: Colonel Sanders Birthday
THE YEAR’S 6 ONION HOLIDAYS HOLIDAYS
January 12: International French Onion Soup Day
March: Exotic Winter Fruit & Leeks and Green Onions Month
March 11: National Sofrito Day†
May 10: National Liver And Onions Day
June 22: National Onion Ring Day
June 27: National Onion Day
Plus:
February 27: National Chili Day
MORE ONION RING RECIPES
Beer Batter Onion Rings
Non-Ketchup Dips For Onion Rings
________________
*National Corn Dog Day, the third Saturday of March, coincides with the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship (March Madness). Thus, the date changes from year to y ear.
†Sofrito is a flavorful aromatic base sauce made from a blend of sautéed onions, peppers, and garlic. It is the baser of many dishes in Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines.
‡Onions joined lamb kidneys, pig’s knuckles, parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas, as foods that refined people should avoid. Why, we know not.
‡‡Before you rush to order a Bloomin’ Onion: According to Outback Steakhouse’s nutritional information, a full Bloomin’ Onion and dipping sauce contains approximately 1,950 calories. Not to mention the beer, which is a must-have companion. The dish is also quite high in fat, sodium, and carbohydrates due to the deep-frying process and breading. For context, that’s roughly equivalent to an entire day’s worth of calories for many people. But it is an American culinary experience, so bring a group of friends to share it with you.
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.
|
