Crispy Fried shallot is flavorful and very easy to make. It is used to enhance flavor in many simple vegetable and noodle dishes in Taiwan. This is not only a classic flavor in Taiwan but in other regions of Asia as well. You can find this at Asian stores, but nothing beats the homemade version made with locally grown shallots.
SHALLOTS
Shallots are alliums, in the same family as white, red, and yellow onions, along with leeks, scallions, and garlic. They look like baby onions and taste like
Shallots are most often used as a “seasoning” in Taiwan. Large quantity of shallots are fried and preserved often in lard when in season then added to various dishes such as- Lo Bak Beng(Taiwanese for滷肉飯, braised pork and rice), blanched vegetables and almost every bowl of simple noodles you can find. The flavor of the fried shallots steeping into the broth, creating a complex depth and umami leaving people wanting more.
Frying Shallots
Few tips on frying these shallots:
- Start on medium heat
- Stir often until all the shallots are submerged in oil
- Turn the heat up to high to fry until lightly golden
- Remove shallots from heat and drain when it’s lightly golden, it will continue to cook, darken, and crisp up while it’s cooling down.
As for the oil used for frying shallots, you can simply use vegetable oil, but lard, chicken or duck fat are also commonly used. Especially if you’re leaving the shallots in the oil. The oil for frying shallots can be used in stir-frying and I love using it to fry eggs.
The shallots should be sliced thinly but it can be in either direction. Use a mandoline if you’d like but tears will come with it! Minnesota grown shallots are STRONG!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Shallots
- 1 C Oil Vegetable Oil, Lard, Chicken or Duck Fat
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Cut off the ends of the shallots and peel off the skins.
- Thinly slice the shallots.
- Heat up 1 Cup of oil and 1tsp of salt on medium heat for 2 minutes in a pot or a wok.
- Add the sliced shallots to the pot, stirring occasionally. The shallots will start bubbling and steaming, it will get lighter in about 3 minutes. Keep stirring until some edges start turning slightly golden.
- Turn the heat up to high, keep stirring and frying until all the shallots are slightly golden. Strain and remove from heat immediately, it might seem light and not crispy but it will continue to cook as it cools down and crisp up.
- Once both oil and shallots are cooled down, you can mix them back together to use as shallot oil and store separately.
