Browned Onions

Onion slices fried in oil until browned are called tarka in Bangladesh and Pakistan and birishta in the Muslim community of Andhra Pradesh. Perhaps they traveled into the Subcontinent with other Central Asian Muslim dishes, such as pulaos and kebabs. Whatever the story, they make a wonderful extra layer of flavor for many dishes, especially rice dishes, slightly sweet. You can make a pile of it, then strew it on just before serving. The oil can be poured off, then used