You cannot enjoy a plate of succulent Mangu without some Cebolla roja con vinagre, the Dominican sauteéd red onions with vinegar that are invariable served with our favorite breakfast, or on other of our favorite dishes. Easy to make, it's one of our favorite garnishes.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jul 21, 2021
Why we ❤️ it
Dominicans know just how much we love cebolla roja salteada con vinagre, the Dominican sautéed red onions. They are the final touch for Mangú, with Los Tres Golpes, our quintessential breakfast dishes.
The vinegar in it is the perfect contrasting touch that improves greatly the savory flavors of whatever you serve with them.
What's cebolla salteada?
Dominican cebolla salteada is a quick onion garnish made by briefly sauteing onions, and adding vinegar at the end. It's a quick-cook onions recipe and it is ready in just a few minutes.
Bear in mind that this is different from pickled onions or a caramelized onion recipe. The onion is cooked briefly, and most people prefer that still has some bite to it.
Dominican sauteed red onions with vinegar.
How to serve
Sauteed red onions are a must on some of our favorite side dishes, like Mangú, and are also used to garnish Mazamorra, the Dominican pumpkin (auyama) mash, served in Dominican-style Boiled yuca with red onions, Puré de yautía (malanga mash), and more.
I love making sauteed red onions to garnish meats, like steaks, burgers, Dominican fried chuleta (pork chops), and Longaniza (Dominican sausage).
Top tips
- We typically use fruit vinegar, like pineapple vinegar, apple cider vinegar is also an excellent option.
- This is a dish that doesn't lend itself to refrigeration. The onions get mushy both in the refrigerator and the freezer and lose both the texture and flavor we like.
- Some people prefer onion slices; others prefer onion rings. I prefer onion slices.
About this recipe
This recipe is quite basic; it is straightforward to make and requires only a few ingredients. It was initially made with lard, but subsequently, most Dominicans started using vegetable oil for it. It's the only significant change it has gone through.
There is little variation in how Dominicans make this, but the main difference you may encounter is the type of oil used (I prefer olive oil, but vegetable oils like peanut or corn are more common). I also add some pepper to it.
If you have another way to make it, I'd love to hear it.
Video
Recipe
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Cebolla con Vinagre [Video+Recipe] Sautéed Red Onions
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large red onion, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or to taste)
Instructions
1. Cooking onions
Heat oil in a large skillet or pan over low heat. Add onions and cook and stir until they slightly translucent (2-3 minutes).
2. Adding vinegar
- Pour in vinegar and season with pepper, and salt to taste.Stir until the onions turn a bright color (2 minutes). It can go from bright pink to bright purple depending on the onion you used.
3. Serving
- Remove from the heat.Use this to garnish the dishes in the serving suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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