Cooking with Egyptian Walking Onions
Egyptian Walking Onions taste much like a traditional onion, but with a little extra fire and fragrance. The entire plant is edible, even the flowers, and each part offers its own character in the kitchen.
The ground bulbs
Beneath the soil, small shallot-like bulbs form in clusters. These can be used exactly as you would use shallots or young onions — sautéed in butter, roasted, added to soups, stews, sauces, and stir-fries, or sliced thin and eaten raw.
The green leaves
The green leaves may be harvested and chopped like chives or scallions. They are excellent sprinkled over baked potatoes, stirred into sour cream, folded into omelets, added to salads, or used as a finishing touch on soups and roasted vegetables. Their flavor is bright, oniony, and slightly sharper than store-bought green onions. There is a difference in the leaves between the red and white topset varieties. The white variety produces leaves that are milder in flavor than the red variety. They can be eaten raw in salads. They are also generally smaller and more tender. They seem to form a thicker clump as well, and they persist through the winter if the temperatures stay above 10 degrees Fahrenheit - onion greens all winter! The leaves of the red variety tend to die back in the winter. They are bigger, tougher, and stronger tasting, but still excellent for use in cooking.
The topsets
At the top of the stalks, the topsets form — small, concentrated onion bulbs with real bite. Peeled and sliced, they can be fried until golden, roasted whole, tossed into skillet dishes, or eaten raw in small amounts. Many people enjoy them pickled like pearl onions, which softens their heat and brings out a rich, complex flavor. Some even snack on them fresh, though they are definitely spicy. Again, the white variety is milder.
Pickled Walking Onion Topsets
Ingredients:
1 cup Egyptian Walking Onion topsets (peeled)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the topsets and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Transfer the onions to a glass bowl or jar.
In a saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the onions. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. They will keep for up to two weeks and continue to deepen in flavor.
Fermentation
Fermenting Egyptian Walking Onion topsets is a simple way to preserve their strong onion flavor while developing a pleasantly tangy, savory depth. Small topsets can be fermented whole. Larger ones can be peeled if desired, though keeping the skins on is fine as long as they are clean and sound.
Ingredients:
Egyptian Walking Onion topsets
Non-chlorinated water
Fine sea salt or pickling salt
Basic brine ratio: 1 tablespoon salt per 2 cups water
Optional additions may include garlic, dill, bay leaf, black peppercorns, or a small pinch of mustard seed, but the onions ferment well on their own.
Materials:
Clean glass jar
Fermentation weight, small glass weight, or other method to keep the onions submerged
Lid fitted loosely, or a fermentation lid
Method:
Rinse the topsets well and remove any loose outer skins, dirt, or damaged portions. Trim only as needed.
Pack the topsets into a clean jar, leaving a little headspace at the top.
Stir the salt into the water until fully dissolved to make the brine.
Pour the brine over the topsets until they are completely covered.
Place a fermentation weight over the onions so they remain below the surface of the brine.
Cover the jar with a fermentation lid or a loose lid so gas can escape during fermentation.
Leave the jar at room temperature, out of direct sun, for about 5 to 10 days.
Check daily to make sure the onions stay submerged. Bubbles and a pleasantly sour aroma are normal signs
that fermentation is underway.
Begin tasting after about 5 days. Once the flavor is pleasantly tangy and to your liking, move the jar
to the refrigerator to slow fermentation.
Notes
Fermentation time will vary with temperature. A warmer room speeds the process, while a cooler room slows it. Any topsets that rise above the brine for long periods should be removed. As with other vegetable ferments, discard the batch if it develops a foul odor, visible fuzzy mold, or an obviously unpleasant appearance.
Serving
Fermented Egyptian Walking Onions can be eaten straight from the jar, added to salads, served beside beans or roasted meats, or chopped into savory dishes where a bright, tangy onion note is wanted.
Simple Culinary Uses
Walking Onion Butter: Finely chop the greens and mix into softened butter with a pinch of salt. Spread on warm bread, corn, or baked potatoes.
Skillet Potatoes: Slice the underground bulbs and sauté with potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper until golden. Finish with chopped greens.
Soup Base: Use the bulbs anywhere you would start a soup with onions, slowly cooked in butter or oil until sweet, then add broth, vegetables, and herbs.
Egg Dishes: Chop greens and bulbs and fold into scrambled eggs, quiche, or frittatas.
Roasted Topsets: Toss peeled topsets in olive oil and roast until lightly browned. They become sweet, mellow, and deeply savory.
In every form — green, bulb, or topset — Egyptian Walking Onions bring a new onion flavor to the kitchen. The same plant that walks across the garden also walks through the seasons of your cooking, returning again and again with flavor, uniqueness, and history.