Prep 15min Cook 20 min
Caramelized onions are a cornerstone garnish of Middle Eastern dishes. Koshari, one of Egypt’s national dishes uses them as a critical component. The Palestinians and Lebanese blend copious amount of them with lentils and rice in their classic Mujaddara and the Syrians use it as an essential part of Sayadieh, a delicious dish from their Mediterranean Coast of fragrantly spice rice and seared fished topped with caramelized onions.
It not difficult to understand why. When caramelized, onions and shallots give a dish a crunchy texture with a hint of a bitter sweet flavor. The caramelization can take quite a long time and needs constant attention to avoid burning. For this recipe, I have used a mandolin to finely slice shallots that provides delicious results in 5 minutes.
In this soup, the sweetness of the carrots and ginger blend perfectly with the onions to give you a simple but sophisticated start to any meal.
Carrot Soup With Caramelized Onions
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- A mandolin or razor sharp kitchen knife to thinly slice shallots
- 2 quart saucepan
- A small frying pan
- A hand blender
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable or grape seed oil (divided)
- 1 yellow onion coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup double cream
- 1 small shallot very finely sliced
Instructions
- To the saucepan, add a tablespoon of oil and the onions and cook on low/medium fire until tender. About 5 minutes. Add the grated ginger and stir for a minute.
- Add the two cups of chicken broth and one cup of sliced carrots and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, heat a tbsp of oil in a small frying pan and on a low/medium heat add the finely sliced shallot and stir continuously until golden brown. About 5 minutes. Some strands may go darker but that is OK. Once cooked set aside and drain on paper towel.
- Once the carrots are tender, thoroughly blend the soup. Add 1/4 cup of cream and stir well.
- Return to heat, garnish with shallots garnish and serve with extra garnish on the side. (Leftover garnish can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a month).
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