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(Allium ascalonicum) Purplish-red or
brown-gold in color, these members of the onion family grow like garlic,
with a number of single bulbs clustered together at the root. Shallots
have a more intense flavor than onions, and are widely used in South
East Asia. In Malaysia and Singapore, shallots are used in the spicy
pounded base known as rempah.
Because the layers are so much finer than
the layers of large onions, they are ideal for slicing and scattering
over salads, or for slow, deep frying to make a crisp and taste garnish.
For salads, it is preferred to use golden shallots which are sweeter and
not as pungent as purple shallots. It is possible to buy shallots
already fried, packed in tubs or plastic bags. Store these in the
freezer to prevent the oil turning rancid. They are used to sprinkle
over noodles, rice, soups and just about any dish that needs a flavor
boost. Crisply fried shallots are wonderful for adding to peanut sauce
in Malaysia and Singapore, and substituted for onions and garlic in a
short-cut version of balachaung, a Burmese relish. Although using
ready-fried shallots cut preparation time dramatically, it doesn't yield
the bonus of shallot oil - delicious for flavoring vegetables or
noodles.
A more unusual use of fried shallots is in
some Asian sweet biscuits. A specialty pastry shop in Penang (Malaysia)
makes the tambun biscuits with a filling made from sweetened mung bean
paste with fried shallots mixed through. This sweet-salty combination is
very popular and supply can hardly keep up with the demand, but the
first bite sends conflicting signals to unwary taste buds.
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