Osh Pyozee are Afghan Stuffed Onions. Soft onion layers are used as a wrapper for a savory lamb, Feta and prune filling. Serve one as an appetizer, 2 or 3 as a main dish.
There's something special about stuffed vegetables. I love the different textures and melding of flavors, and the presentation is exciting. They come out of the oven soft and browned and looking delicious, like a beautifully wrapped present.
I've love stuffing vegetables with a savory filling, whether it be stuffed peppers, stuffed squash or stuffed cabbage. So when I learned about Osh Pyozee, (that's the Afghan name for "Stuffed Onions"), I was immediately intrigued. Onions are one of my favorite vegetables and I've never thought to stuff them.
How To Make Stuffed Stuffed Onions
In this recipe, the onions are softened by boiling them, so the layers can be separated. Each onion layer becomes a wrapper for savory lamb, feta and prune filling.
Because of their rounded shape, onions layers naturally curl around the filling and close up at each end.
To prepare the onions for boiling, slice off their ends, remove the papery skins, and cut them halfway through.
Cook’s Tip: How To Separate Onion Layers Easily
Boiling the onions softens them so the layers slide apart easily. The easiest way to separate them is under cold water — the water cools the onions and helps the layers slip apart without tearing.
Start with the outer layers and gently peel them away one by one. Most onions will give you 4–5 good layers for stuffing. Once you reach the firm inner core, stop — the center is too thick to roll and can be saved for another use (soups, stews, or sautés).
The Savory Stuffing
Ingredients:
- Ground Lamb
- Cooked Basmati Rice
- Garlic
- Spices: Salt, pepper and cumin
- Feta cheese, crumbled
- Pitted Prunes, chopped
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Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until fully combined.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling into each onions layer, roll the onion around the filling and place the the stuffed onion skin-side-down in an oiled casserole. Bake and enjoy.
There is no need to add any liquid to the casserole before cooking. The onions release plenty of moisture while they bake.
In Afghanistan meals are traditionally served on a large table cloth called a dastarkhan, that is spread over the floor. Diners sit on cushions and share communal plates of food, often including rice, bread (Nan), stews, vegetables and chutneys.
Food is eaten with the right hand - no utensils are used. A hand-washing ritual is customary before the start of a meal.
How To Serve Stuffed Onions
I like the idea of serving these Afghan style - on a communal platter, surrounded by colorful vegetables and salads.
Or serve these as a tapas-style appetizer, with one tasty stuffed onion per small plate.
By the way, I tried eating one of thse without utensils. It was great! I'd like to say that I did it to be true to Afghan customs but truth be told I just couldn't resist grabbing one and devouring it - so so good!
If you're interested in Afghan food, you should also try this stunning dish called Aushak.
If you try this Stuffed Onions (Osh Pyozee) recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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Osh Pyozee Recipe: Stuffed Onions from Afghanistan
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 12 stuffed onions, 6 main dish servings 1x
- Diet: Low-Carb
Description
Oven Baked Stuffed Onions with a savory filling of lamb, rice, Feta, prunes and spices.
Ingredients
- 3 large yellow onions (about ¾ pound each)
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ¾ cup cooked basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 10 pitted prunes, roughly chopped
- 4 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
- Olive oil for brushing onions
- Fresh ground black pepper
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil the bottom of a casserole dish or Dutch oven. Arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
Prepare the onions
- Trim the ends off the onions, then make a single slice lengthwise through each onion, cutting only halfway through (with your knife positioned end-to-end). See the photo in the post for a demonstration of this technique.
- Remove the papery onion skins. Place the onions in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot partially and boil for 20 minutes, until the onions are softened.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions into a large bowl filled with cold water. Pour out heated water and refresh with more cold water, and repeat again. Let onions cool in the water for a few minutes.
- To keep from burning your hands, work under running water as you gently separate the softened outer layers of each onion, one by one, about 4 or 5 per onion, until you get to the stiffer middle section which will not be used in this recipe. Put onions layers in a mesh strainer to dry.
Make the stuffing:
- Put cooked rice in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. (Turn off the heat if the garlic begins to brown.) Scrape the garlic and cumin into the bowl with the rice.
- Add the salt, pepper, ground lamb and feta cheese and gently mix everything together (using your hands works best).
Stuff and Bake
- Pat the onion layers dry if need be. Add a generous heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture to the center of an onion layer. Roll the onion layer around the meat, and put it in the oiled casserole, seam side down.
- Continue until all the filling is used. You should have 12–14 stuffed onions.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with some olive oil and sprinkle with some fresh ground pepper. Cover casserole with lid or with a double layer of foil.
- Bake in the lower third of a the oven for 1 hour.
- Briefly remove pot from oven. Turn oven up to "broil". Remove foil from casserole. Baste onions with pan juices. Return to oven, uncovered, and cook onion rolls for an additional 3-5 minutes to brown them, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn.
- Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Category: Appetizer, Main Course - Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Afghan
these things are the BOMB!
This i a fun one and also tastes great!
So glad you enjoyed!
What a wonderful dish! I love everything you post!
Thank you Patty. It was a fun dish to experiment with. I'm glad you like it.