Sirke Wala Pyaz or Sirke Wale Pyaaz or Pickled onion or Restaurant style Vinegar Onion are small red onions or shallots simply immersed in a mixture of white vinegar, salt, and allowed to marinate.
Additional spices can be added to customize the mixture to match your taste. In the recipe below, I used my favorite mixture of flavorings, which includes fresh green chili, ginger along with few Asian spices such as clove, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon to give it a extra flavors. You can also add some fresh garlic in this pickle.
Not only are they a gorgeous, vibrant pink, but they’re tangy and a little crunchy. They’re the best way to give almost any dish a bright pop of flavor. Sirke wala pyaz or Sirke wale pyaz is very popular in north India and is generally served in restaurants as a compliment with the meal, but now you don’t have to wait to go to your favorite restaurant to enjoy these.
This recipe takes only 15 minutes, and you probably already have everything you need on hand. If you don’t have shallot or pearl onions then you may simply use the sliced red onion. Adding beetroot is totally optional, however it gives a really pretty pink color to pickle without adding any taste from beetroot.
Over time, the onions will eventually turn into a pink shade which looks very tempting. Be sure to store your pickled onions in a mason jar or ceramic container as metals will react with the vinegar, and plastic will absorb the flavors.
There are countless uses for pickled onions. They go very well with tandoori snacks or rich curry dishes like paneer butter masala, kadai paneer, palak paneer, dal makhani, khichdi, or any rich curry dish of your choice.
Give your favorite meals a huge burst of flavor. They also pair great with dal tadka or dal fry served with jeera rice. You can also add them in Mexican dishes like tacos or quesadilla. They also make a good filling for burgers, sandwiches, salads, falafel pita sandwiches etc.
Do try other recipes:
- Stuffed Red Chili Pickle (Lal Mirch ka Bharwa Achar)
- Instant Green Chili Pickle
- Stuffed Green Chili Pickle
- Punjabi Mango Pickle
- Gajar Mooli Ka Achar
- Lemon Pickle
- Red Chili Pickle (Lal Mirch Ka Achar)
Preparation Time: 10mins(+Resting Time) ∏ Cooking Time: 5mins ∏ Servings: 1 Jar
Level: Beginners (Easy) ∏ Measurement: 1 Cup ≡ 250 ml ≡ 250gm
Ingredients Checklist:
How to make Sirke Wala Pyaz:
Step1: Wash and dry green chilies. Then, using a knife, cut them in half and smaller pieces if required. Peel small red onions or pearl onion or shallots. Rinse the peeled onions in water and then drain them very well.
Step2: Heat 1 cup of water in a pot. Add 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2-3 green cardamom,1 black cardamom,1 teaspoon black pepper corn, 5-6 cloves and 1/4 cup roughly chopped beetroot.
Step3: Let it boil on medium flame for 4-5 minutes or until beetroot turns soft and releases its beautiful red color into the water.
Step4: Turn off the flame and let the water cool down.
Step5: Transfer onions along with slit green chili and sliced ginger in a glass jar or ceramic jar or any non reactive jar. You may also add fresh garlic in this recipe.
Step6: Once the beetroot water cools down, strain the water into the jar. (You can discard the beet or use it in making soups).
Step7: Now pour 1 cup white vinegar into the jar along with 1.5 tablespoon salt.
Step8: Close the jar and shake well making sure everything is well combined. Rest the pickle for 24 hours allowing to seep the vinegar and red color into onions.
Step9: Sirke Wala Pyaz is ready to be served. Enjoy and store in the refrigerator and use for 2-3 weeks.
Tips:
- Adding beetroot gives vibrant red color to the Sirke wala pyaz however its optional.
- You can also add fresh garlic also into this pickle.
- You can use the leftover beetroot to make soups or puree it and mix into a dough to make puri or paratha.
- Red pearl onions gives the best color. If not available use regular sliced red onions or shallots.
- Make a cross slit on top of the onion. I skipped this step as my onions were too small.
- Once the salt and vinegar solution is used for the first batch, the same solution can be reused for the next batch.
- Store them in glass or ceramic jar. Do not store them in metal or plastic container.
[…] Sirke Wala Pyaz – Sirke Wala Pyaz or Sirke Wale Pyaaz or Pickled onion or Restaurant style Vinegar Onion are small red onions or shallots simply immersed in a mixture of white vinegar, salt, and allowed to marinate… […]