Can I use Red Onions in a Durban Curry?

A few weeks ago, we were having a discussion on our Facebook Group, We are Durban Curry Lovers, asking if one can use Red Onions to cook a Durban Curry.

Now I know that Red Onions are perfect for sambals, but would they be too sweet for a Durban Curry and change the taste?

In fact, we held a poll, with 164 people saying that Red Onions are fine for a Durban Curry, and 64 people said to rather not be lazy and go to the shop and buy the traditional brown onions.

Today, I decided to cook a chicken curry and use Red Onions to test the theory, not because I am a scientist, but because I did not have any Red Onions. I only had about an hour from work to cook and eat, so going to the shop was out of the question.

I took one Red Onions and chopped it finely with a big red chilli & a big green fresh chilli and bombed them in a pot with a bit of sunflower oil. A chopped clove of garlic and some grated ginger followed soon after.

Once those had cooked down and caramelised, I added two tablespoons of Durban Curry Lovers, ORIGINAL BLEND, all-in-one Masala.

As usual, as soon as the masala hit the pot, my kitchen was filled with the most beautiful fragrances & aromas. This truly is a spectacular masala.

I allowed the masala to sizzle and temper in the onion mixture for a few minutes, until the pot started to go dry. I then added a splash of hot water from the kettle and gave it a good mix and allowed it to cook down again.

It was now time for the tomatoes. I blitzed two jam tomatoes in my Kenwood Food Processor, and in they went.

I gave the mixture a good stir, reduced the heat a little bit and let it simmer until the tomatoes had cooked down and the oil had started to separate from the gravy.

By now I had forgotten that I was using Red Onion. I could not taste any significant difference, only absolute deliciousness.

A touch of salt and then it was time to add the chicken breast fillet that I had sliced into pieces and sprinkled with a few pinches of masala when I started cooking.

I put a portion of basmati rice on to cook, and made a simple salad / sambals, with – you guessed it – red onion, grated carrot, finely chopped tomato, some cabbage and fresh coriander. I mixed these in with a big of white vinegar, some salt, black pepper and a pinch of sugar.

The curry had cooked down quite a bit and the pot was a bit dry, so I added another splash of water, gave it a mix and allowed it to cook down.

After about 15 minutes the rice was ready, the salad had a delicious pickled twang to it and the curry was screaming EAT ME, EAT ME, EAT ME.

I dished it up all fancy and send a photo to tease my wonderful wife at work. I think there is a 75/25 chance that I will be cooking this meal again tonight. Oh well, it was cheap, easy and absolutely delicious.

You really can not go wrong with this masala.

Oh, and my conclusion is that I did not taste any difference between the brown or red onions, it was delicious.

You can buy some from our Online Store for delivery anywhere in South Africa in 3-4 working days.

Here are some more CHICKEN CURRY RECIPES.

You are invited to join our Facebook Group, where a wonderful group of people share their love of cooking Durban Curry.