Fried onions are slices of

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...

s that are either pan fried (sautéed) or deep fried — and consumed as a popular

snack food A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

, garnish, or vegetable accompaniment to various recipes.

Sautéed onions

Common fried onions are cooked by basic

pan frying Pan frying or pan-frying is a form of frying food characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying), typically using just enough to lubricate the pan. In the case of a greasy food such as bacon, ...

sautéing Sautéing or sauteing (, ; in reference to tossing while cooking) is a method of cooking that uses a relatively small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Various sauté methods exist. Description Ingredients for ...

of sliced

s. This produces a fairly soft cooked onion, which may brown some from a

Maillard reaction The Maillard reaction ( ; ) is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, fried dumplings, cookies and other kinds of biscuits, breads, toasted marshmallows, and m ...

, depending on the length of cooking and the temperature. The Philadelphia cheesesteak is a hot sandwich commonly served with sautéed onions, and they are half of the dish called

liver and onions The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

. In the Middle East, mujaddara is a dish made of lentils and rice topped with fried onions. In Indian cuisine, fried onions are one of the key ingredients for the rice dish called biryani.

Crisp fried onions

If the much higher temperature, immersive,

deep frying Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. ...

is used, this prepares the onions in a manner similar to that of

French fried potatoes French fries ( North American English), chips (British English), finger chips (Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. T ...

. Crispy deep fried onions are called " French fried onions" in

Southern cooking The cuisine of the Southern United States encompasses diverse food traditions of several regions, including Tidewater, Appalachian, Lowcountry, Cajun, Creole, and Floribbean cuisine. In recent history, elements of Southern cuisine have sprea ...

of the United States. Smaller and irregularly shaped (from being deep-fried until they are crunchy) onions are an integral part of the American dish

green bean casserole Green bean casserole is an American baked dish consisting primarily of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french fried onions. It is a popular side dish for Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and has been described as ''iconic'' ...

. Freshly made crisp fried onions may be used as garnishes in some restaurants. In Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia, known as ristede løg/rostad lök/stekte løk, they are a staple garnish for

hot dogs A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a f ...

or Tunnbrödsrulle, served in local fast food restaurants or by street vendors (which are common in large cities such as

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

and

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

). Crisp fried onions are also used in biriyani for layering and garnishing.

Variations

Onion rings

Large, often ring-shaped, batter-coated, deep-fried onions are often associated with fast food and

casual dining Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the USA, while catego ...

. Examples include onion rings and blooming onions.

Fried shallot

Shallot The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...

, a variety of onion, is fried and used in various parts of Asia as garnish and flavouring ingredient. This include bawang goreng in

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...

, ''you cong su'' (油蔥酥) from

Taiwanese cuisine Taiwanese cuisine (, Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄌㄧㄠˋㄌㄧˇ, or , Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄘㄞˋ) has several variations. The earliest known cuisines of Taiwan are that of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Over hundred years of histor ...

as well as in Thai cuisine. Shallots are thinly sliced and deep fried in plenty of

cooking oil Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oil ...

until golden crisp, and often placed in a tight glass jar for later use. Fried shallot has a slightly bitter yet savoury flavour. Crispy fried shallots are often sprinkled upon

steamed rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both Indica and Japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutinous ...

, satay, soto, gado-gado,

bubur ayam Bubur ayam ( Indonesian for "chicken congee") is an Indonesian chicken congee. It is rice congee with shredded chicken meat served with some condiments, such as chopped scallion, crispy fried shallot, celery, '' tongcay'' (preserved salted veget ...

and many other dishes as a condiment as well as garnish. They are used for stir-fried vegetables, soups, stews, curries, noodles, rice and salads as toppings. Prepacked ''bawang goreng'' fried shallots are available in supermarkets and grocery stores in Indonesia, and also Asian grocery stores abroad.

References