Hey, that’s a good idea! I love onions—and I do like the charred bits on a pizza—but I just don’t like them too raw. For me, I thought the Cook’s Illustrated technique might take away some of the raw-ness.
They do also say that you can use that approach to soften red or sweet onions before using them in salads or sandwiches. I’m thinking the “Asian style quick pickle” would make them that much tastier in a sandwich, plus I think softening them a little might help them stay in place in the sandwich (I don’t know about other people, but I find that onions always slide/fall out of sandwiches or burgers…) In which case, one probably would want to dry them before putting them in a sandwich, I’m thinking.
Being facetious here, but it’s a bit of a thing with me. How they built the pyramids was with a very large standing labour force of well paid artisans and a seasonal labour force of hundreds of thousands. They sunk the excess capital of the most powerful empire around into the project.
We build megayachts and vanity temporary skyscrapers for billionaires.
They are, and rinsing them is common when it’s done with a lot of salt and sugar. But rinsing multiple times is gonna strip out a lot of that extra flavor.
Carrots done that way are common in Bahn Mi. Things stay pretty crisp, but they do not taste raw. They taste a bit pickled. I’m assuming the extra rinses and very short pickling time (15 mins is your minimum here) are intended to change that.
Nuking briefly helps with that too. It’s intended to take the sharp edge off the raw taste, been doing it forever to prevent heart burn. Turned out to be useful for all sorts of stuff. Also works on thick sliced garlic (cut small it’ll burn/dehydrate too much) and shallot.
Like @chgoliz says they’re very similar to a tapioca pearl, but with a hard seed at the center. There’s a sort of gelatinous starch orb around the seed itself. But I think its the same compound that gives okra is “slimey” reputation, and they’ll thicken/gel the rest of the liquid they’re soaked in a bit
I hate them. But ground I gather they’re a useful thing in vegan baking and as a gelatin substitute.
Plus they’re the same seed as the famous Chia Pet.
Honestly, when I go full vegan I tend to have an adjustment period where I’m gassy for a bit. It does settle down though. I do remember a frightening bubble in the bath when I was fifteen. My sibs came running upstairs at the sound.
I did not! But now I so want to go there as soon as things safely open up again. I love what they did for Black History Month! Wonder what they’ll do for women’s history month.
Great find, thanks!
This article made me super hungry. I’m off to make miso soup, rice noodles, stir fried veg and tofu.
My one cooking tip, which I’m sure y’all know anyway, is cook the garlic first in the hot oil. The sour tang is just so important for Asian cuisine. Would make Italians blanch at the garlic abuse (never burnt, never bitter - they remove the heart before cooking) but it’s great.
It’s less elegant, but I got tired of them either sliding out or pulling out the whole ring when taking a bite, so I’ve taken to finely chopping the onions when using on sandwiches, burgers, hotdogs, etc. It’s pretty fun chopping them with this trick, where you slice the onion half almost to the end first, then chop off the perfectly diced pieces:
And I suddenly vividly remember that Matt’s Bar—home of the famous “Jucy Lucy” cheese-filled burger (yes, I know, there’s another place in the Twin Cities that claims to be the inventor of it; we can ignore them* ) and where President Obama once had lunch when he stopped in Minneapolis—serves CHOPPED onions on their burgers (I recommend getting the fried onions, but you can get them raw if you want.)
*Actually, I have no idea which place really invented it. I just favor Matt’s because it’s near me, and the vet where I took my (long-departed but still missed) cat for many years was kitty-corner from it. I’ve never been to the other place, but I have been to Matt’s a few times.
Matt’s is “less elegant” too
I was pretty psyched when Pres. Obama went there! Still am, actually
also—Matt’s Bar - Wikipedia
and history/rivalry of the Jucy Lucy (actually has a Wikipedia page then again what doesn’t these days)
) and where President Obama once had lunch when he stopped in Minneapolis—serves CHOPPED onions on their burgers 
(I recommend getting the fried onions, but you can get them raw if you want.)
