Wandering Bob
Veteran
Apart from learning more new things than my aging brain can easily cope with, some of the posts on this excellent forum are making me remember dishes that I cooked a very long time ago - and had completely forgotten about.
I remember cooking an Indian meal for a dozen friends about 20 years ago, and I trialled marinating thinly sliced white onions in an oil & lemon juice mix (I probably used sunflower oil). I left it uncovered for a couple of hours, then dressed it with chopped fresh mint. It was quite outstanding served on fresh poppadoms - all the sharpness of the onion had gone, just leaving a slightly sweet taste that fused beautifully with the lemon and mint.
To a certain extent, the same logic applies in a tabbouleh - I've been making it an hour or two before eating it recently so that all the flavours merge and the onion softens.
I don't know what the science is - or whether it happens all the time (perhaps only in warm weather?) - but I'm beginning to suspect that onion, lemon and mint is a classic flavour combination that may have been present in Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries - and that I've only just noticed it. I'm determined to keep going with it - and have a feeling it may go well as a cornbread topping amongst other things.
I remember cooking an Indian meal for a dozen friends about 20 years ago, and I trialled marinating thinly sliced white onions in an oil & lemon juice mix (I probably used sunflower oil). I left it uncovered for a couple of hours, then dressed it with chopped fresh mint. It was quite outstanding served on fresh poppadoms - all the sharpness of the onion had gone, just leaving a slightly sweet taste that fused beautifully with the lemon and mint.
To a certain extent, the same logic applies in a tabbouleh - I've been making it an hour or two before eating it recently so that all the flavours merge and the onion softens.
I don't know what the science is - or whether it happens all the time (perhaps only in warm weather?) - but I'm beginning to suspect that onion, lemon and mint is a classic flavour combination that may have been present in Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries - and that I've only just noticed it. I'm determined to keep going with it - and have a feeling it may go well as a cornbread topping amongst other things.
