Crunchy onions in soup?
I go to a food cart regularly and I've had this red lentil soup before but today I noticed that the minced onions were really crunchy but didn't taste strong as if they were raw. The lentils were soft so I'm sure that the soup was cooked long enough to make the added vegetables tender. I'm assuming this is because they weren't sauteed before they were added to the soup? Could there be some other reason?
Best Answer
Onions that have been blanched (briefly dipped in boiling water) will taste less sharp than raw onions - so it is possible that the onions were merely added at the end, and the soup may have been hot enough to mellow the taste even if the onions remain firm.
It may also be possible that the onions in the soup that day were dehydrated - if they had run out of onions and were substituting, or had dehydrated on hand because they are much more shelf stable, or they were just experimenting. Dried onions rehydrated in soup might have a crunchy or crisp texture like raw onion, without the sharp flavor raw onion have. Also, a dried and rehydrated onion might be crunchy even after being sauteed, and may not soften even when simmered, which could account for your soup.
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How do you soften onions for soup?
Let a cut onion sit in a sealed container over night, and that smell will become quite powerful indeed. Subsequently heating these compounds will cause them to continue to convert to different, less pungent ones, and eventually an onion will soften into a mellow sweetness.Why are my onions still crunchy?
You need to cook them longer, higher temp before simmering or slow cook for alot longer. I saut\xe9 the very finely sliced onions on a very low heat for at least 20mins before anything else goes in the pan. I did exactly what I normally do and the onion just didn't soften as usual.How long does it take for onions to soften in broth?
Doing so adds new flavor to the dish you're preparing and also reduces the time the onion must be cooked in the broth. Recipes recommend sauteeing your onions for up to 10 minutes to have them softened and turn a translucent color before adding them to your soup.Why wont my onions soften?
Just cover the bottom of your pan for jammy, soft caramelized onions, or add a little more for more structured, slightly charred caramelized onions. The more fat in the pan, the more the onions will fry rather than soften.How to make perfect tender crispy onions
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