Ingredients: Shallots

Shallots are a cousin to the onion but have a much milder flavor. Some recipes call for shallots instead of onions when they don't want the dish to be overpowered by the onion but simply have the flavor enhanced. That's what shallots do for your dishes. It gives it that body of flavor but you can't quite place where it's coming from.

The shallots in the above photo are the ones that look like small onions and are segmented like garlic once peeled. Note the difference with the garlic placed above them.

You can use onions and shallots interchangeably, but I usually reserve shallots for recipes that specifically call for them since they are also a little more expensive than onions. Used fresh, shallots taste almost like sweet vidalia onions. They are perfect for salads since they don't impart that strong oniony smell either.

The ingredients above were used in a dish I just made called beef rendang.




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