Piaz Dagh!

If you ask my mother what is the key to Iranian cooking she will say: good rice, good saffron and good "piaz dagh"! Piaz Dagh is nothing expensive or complicated; it's just fried onion but the way onions are fried is one indicator of a cook's experience. Piaz Dagh is a basic ingredient for almost every Iranian dish. I have learned how to make "piaz dagh" from my mom and she makes the best. In lots of parties, the host politely asks my mom to bring some of her magic piaz dagh. I write this post for futre reference:

1- cut the onion to half. Take a half in your hand and cut along the edges.

2- Take a deep frying pan. The oil should cover your onions.

when you are adding the onions, the oil must be hot but after 2-3 minutes reduce the flame. Stir every 3-4 minutes.

3- When golden, take out the onion with an skimmer. Spread them in large plates or on a clean surface. If you do it carefully, there is no need for towels to absorb the oil; piaz dagh should be tender and a bit oily at the same time.

Well... there you go! You can keep this in the fridge for a week or freeze it for future use. In Iranian houses, large amount of piaz dagh are stored in the freezer.
Nowadays you can find ready made piaz dagh in Tehran but the quality is still far from the home made one. Piaz dagh has become a sign to describe if a woman still believes in torturous kitchen work. I remember how my mom spent hours and hours of her weekend chopping onions and fry them in large pans... she hated it. She would smell awful afterwards and her only days off her work were dedicated to her family's admiration for how she perfectly fried onions. Nobody ever praised her for the hard work she did as a teacher; in parties when everyone thanked her for the amazing food, I could see her face shining with the feeling that at least she has achieved something... people loved her food.