Caramelised onions appear in every culinary tradition — French soupe à l'oignon, Turkish soğan kavurma, Indian pyaz ki sabzi, Palestinian musakhan topping. The technique is universal because the chemistry is universal: the Maillard reaction and caramelisation transforming the sharp, pungent allium into something sweet, deeply complex, and almost jammy. The failure mode is also universal: turning up the heat to speed the process and producing fried rather than caramelised onions.
Onions cooked in fat over low to medium-low heat for an extended period — 45 minutes to 1 hour minimum — until the sugars have caramelised and the onions have reduced to a deep amber, jammy mass with concentrated sweetness and savoury depth.
Properly caramelised onions are a complete flavour — sweet, savoury, deep, and complex. In musakhan they are the dominant flavour against which the sumac-roasted chicken plays. They are not a base or a background; they are a feature. Any preparation calling for caramelised onions that doesn't allow at least 45 minutes is producing something else.
- Low heat is non-negotiable — high heat fries the onions (Maillard on the surface while the interior remains raw and sharp) rather than caramelising them (even transformation throughout). This is the technique that cannot be rushed - Stir occasionally, not constantly — constant stirring prevents the caramelisation that forms on the pan base from developing and being reabsorbed into the onions - Salt added at the beginning draws moisture and accelerates the initial softening — this is correct - The onions are done when they are deep amber, reduced to approximately 20% of their original volume, and taste sweet with no sharpness remaining [VERIFY volume reduction] - A splash of water or wine deglazes any fond that forms on the base — this fond is flavour and should not be lost Decisive moment: The colour and volume check at 45 minutes — if the onions are still golden and not yet deeply amber, they are not done regardless of how soft they appear. The Maillard reaction and caramelisation that produce depth and complexity only occur at the colour stage, not the softness stage.
OTTOLENGHI JERUSALEM — Technique Entries OT-01 through OT-25