Shallot Confit (Dầu hành phi)

April 10, 2016

Shallot Confit (Dầu hành phi) © kvalifood.com

Whole small shallots slowly cooked in annatto-tinted oil until soft and sweet. This is different from the crispy fried shallots recipe - here the shallots stay whole and become meltingly tender, almost like a confit. The annatto seeds colour the oil a deep orange-red. Use the shallots as a garnish and the oil as a cooking base.

Ingredients

2 cups vegetable oil
2 tbsp annatto seeds
½ kg small purple shallots, peeled

Directions

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Place the annatto seeds in a metal sieve and lower them into the hot oil for about 1 minute to extract their colour. The oil should turn a deep orange-red.
Remove and discard the annatto seeds.
Add the peeled purple shallots to the coloured oil. Reduce the heat to low and let the shallots simmer gently for about 10 minutes until they are soft and tender throughout.
Remove from heat and let everything cool in the oil. Transfer to a glass jar.

Notes

Keeps refrigerated for about 1 week.
The soft shallots work as a garnish for rice dishes, noodles, or soups.
The orange-tinted oil is useful as a cooking oil or drizzled over finished dishes.