Onions and garlic, superfoods we should love – how to prepare and cook them, and how to deal with garlic breath

Low in calories and packed with healthy minerals and vitamins, they help protect against cancer, inflammation and heart disease

Eaten raw or cooked, onions and garlic, the backbone of Indian cooking, add depth, richness and character to food; to counter garlic breath, drink lemon water

4-MIN READ4-MIN

Onions and garlic are the backbone of Indian cooking, says Yogesh Yadav, executive chef at Gaylord Indian restaurant in Hong Kong, who shares his recipe for onion bhaji. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 2:15pm, 17 Jul 2021Updated: 4:01pm, 17 Jul 2021

Onions and garlic are the backbone of Indian cooking, says Yogesh Yadav, executive chef at Hong Kong’s popular Gaylord Indian Restaurant. Savoury and earthy, they partner well with spices, chillies and other aromatics, adding depth, richness and character to dishes.

“Onions are particularly versatile,” says Yadav, who has worked at the restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui since 2016, and has more than 30 years’ experience in the food industry.

“White onions have a mild flavour and are great in light seafood dishes or vegetarian curries. Red onions have more bite, which makes them perfect in meat curries, or sliced raw and added to salads for a hint of sharpness. Brown onions, when fried and caramelised, enhance the flavours of creamy, nutty korma curries and Indian biryani.”

More than just flavouring food without adding too many calories, onions (a large onion has only 63 calories) and garlic (less than five calories in a 3-gram clove) are nutritional powerhouses. For thousands of years, they have been prized for their disease-fighting and medicinal properties.

Rohini Bajekal is a plant-based nutritionist from London. Photo: Rohini Bajekal

Rohini Bajekal, a plant-based nutritionist from London, says that onions and garlic are rich in prebiotic fibres such as inulin. Prebiotics are non-digestible dietary fibres that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and are essential for gut health.

Onions are a great source of vitamins A, B6, C and E, fibre, and minerals including iron, calcium and potassium, Bajekal adds. Their anti-inflammatory properties may help with high blood pressure and protect against blood clots. Garlic is an excellent source of nutrients, including vitamins B6, C, E and K, zinc, iron, magnesium, folate, selenium, thiamine and phosphorus. Like onions, garlic also has antimicrobial benefits.