I love cooking, and most dishes I cook contain some kind of onions or garlic in varying amounts. Unfortunately, my partner doesn’t handle them well, so I want to replace them as much as I can.
Leek is one decent alternative to onions, and I’ve recently discovered Asafoetida, a spice that creates an oniony flavor. But onions are also important for texture, especially in saucy dishes, and both leek and spices replace that poorly. Fennel works sometimes but alters the taste.
Garlic generally seems hard to replace, although I’ve had some success with only slightly squashing the cloves and fishing them out before serving.
Anyway, I’m looking for suggestions. Anybody know any good alternatives, any cool tips or tricks I could try?
Edit: To clarify, the issue is that my partner can’t digest them properly and they cause pain (likely a mild food allergy). The flavor is not an issue, and we both enjoy the stuff that we cook apart from this issue.
Yeah, Indian food is unfortunately mostly a no go for me due to the onions and there is no real alternative. I make something along the lines of butter chicken at home with tomatoes, spices and whipping cream without onions that scratches the itch, but it isn’t the same.
FWIW, I made a nice Dal last weekend with some of the tips in this thread. Swapped out the onions for fennel and leek, added other vegetables (carrots, parsnip, bell pepper), garlic oil and asafoetida for taste. Turned out great and was quite easy on the stomach.