Patna or Bombay Pickled Onions

Patna or Bombay Pickled Onions is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a classic pickle of baby onions with chillies, black peppercorns and ginger. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Patna or Bombay Pickled Onions.

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

23 minutes

Additional Time:

(+cooling)

Makes:

2 jars

Rating:

Tags : Chilli Recipes Vegetarian Recipes Fusion Recipes British Recipes

This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869.
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Original Recipe

343.—Patna or Bombay Onion Pickle

According to the size and number of bottles, take the small or button onions; remove the outer coat,
wash and dry them thoroughly, throw them into a pan with some vinegar, and parboil them; set the
vinegar aside, after filtering it, for shrimp, cucumber, and other salads, or for the preparation of
mustard. Put the parboiled onions when cold into wide-mouthed bottles, laying them alternately with
fresh red chillies, a few black peppercorns, some finely-sliced green ginger, and a little salt. Fill the
bottles with vinegar, and cork them.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

1kg pickling or pearl onions, peeled
500ml malt vinegar
6 cayenne chillies, sliced into thick rounds
1 tsp black peppercorns
12 slices of fresh ginger
2 tbsp salt
vinegar to cover

Method:

Add the onions to a large pan and pour over the vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain through a sieve, set the onions aside to cool and keep the flavoured vinegar to make sauces.

Once the onions are cool, divide between two pickling jars, layering them with the chilli slices, black peppercorns, slices of ginger and 1 tbsp salt per jar.

Pour over enough vinegar to cover secure with vinegar-proof lids then set aside to mature for a few weeks before opening.

Find more Victorian Recipes Here and more Curry Recipes Here. For the original version of The Indian Cookery book see my The Indian Cookery Book main page.