Shallots vs onions: Indian small onions, Polish names and how to cook them

Shallots are a small type of onion that grows in clusters of several bulbs, with a thinner skin and a milder, sweeter taste than an ordinary onion. In Indian shops they are often sold as "small onions" or "sambar onions", and in Poland they are called szalotka (cebula szalotka). You can eat them raw in dressings, or fry and simmer them whole in South Indian and Southeast Asian dishes.

Shallots vs onions: the main differences

At first sight a shallot looks like a miniature onion, but there are a few clear differences:

• Shape. An ordinary onion is one bulb. A shallot often splits into two or three parts when you peel it, a little like garlic cloves.
• Taste. Shallots are milder and sweeter. Raw, they do not take over a dish, which is why they go into vinaigrettes, steak tartare and cold sauces.
• Texture. The layers are finer and more delicate. Shallots soften and caramelise faster than onions.
• Colour. Shallots come with copper, pink and purple skins. The small reddish ones used in India and Southeast Asia have a stronger aroma than French shallots.

In Asian grocery shops "small onions" usually means shallots, or onions from the same group sold as very small bulbs.

Shallots and onions in Polish

If you shop in an ordinary Polish supermarket or market, these are the words on the labels:

Note that dymka is not a shallot. It is a young onion picked before it matures, often sold in bunches with its green leaves. A shallot is a mature, dried bulb with a papery skin, and you store it like an ordinary onion.

How to use shallots in cooking

In French cooking, shallots are the base of beurre blanc, béarnaise and a simple vinaigrette. Chop a shallot finely, cover it with wine vinegar or lemon juice and leave it for a few minutes to soften.

In South India, small onions go into sambar whole. Peel them, add them to hot oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves, then simmer them with the lentils and vegetables. They also go into Kerala curries and chutneys.

In Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, shallots are sliced thinly and fried until crisp, then scattered over soups, rice and noodles. Raw shallots pounded with chilli and garlic are the base of many spice pastes.

In European dishes, shallots work well:

• in sauces for meat and fish, where an ordinary onion would be too sharp,
• in salads and steak tartare,
• in herb butter,
• in risotto and cream sauces, where the onion should melt rather than crunch.

How to peel and chop shallots

Small shallots take longer to peel than one large onion. A simple trick: cover them with boiling water for a minute, drain, and rinse under cold water. The skins then come off much more easily. Trim the root end close to the root, not higher up, so that the layers hold together while you chop.

For sambar and stews, leave the shallots whole. For cold sauces, chop them very finely with a sharp knife. A blunt knife crushes the layers, and the shallot then loses its fresh taste faster.

What to use instead of shallots

If you have no shallots, use red onion or the white part of a spring onion (dymka). Use less than the recipe says, because an ordinary onion is sharper. For cold sauces, you can soak chopped onion in cold water or vinegar for a few minutes to soften its taste. It also works the other way: shallots can replace onions almost anywhere, and the dish comes out milder.

How to store shallots

Store shallots like ordinary onions: in a cool, dry, airy place, away from potatoes. Do not keep them in a plastic bag, because damp skins go mouldy quickly. Keep peeled or chopped shallots in a closed container in the fridge and use them within a day or two.

Where to buy shallots in Poland

Little India sells small onions for sambar and Asian cooking as shallots, 250 g and shallots, 500 g. Other fresh produce is in the vegetables category. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships orders across Poland.

Sambar also needs fresh herbs: read our guide to coriander leaves and seeds. For the spices, see the Indian spices starter kit.