Onion.

Hom yai is the large onion, the round bulb with dry, papery brown skin and firm white layers inside. Raw, it's sharp and crunchy and will make your eyes water while you chop. Cooked, it softens and sweetens, and given enough time over low heat it goes golden and jammy. Most Thai kitchens keep a few in a basket for stir fries and salads.

Ways to use it

• Cut into wedges for pad priao wan, the sweet and sour stir fry, with cucumber, tomato and pineapple.
• Slice thin and toss raw through yum woon sen, the glass noodle salad.
• Cook it slowly in a little oil until soft and brown, as the base for soups and stews.
• Add chunks to a clear soup or a stock pot for a sweeter broth.
• Thread wedges onto skewers between pieces of meat for the grill.

If raw onion is too sharp, soak the slices in cold water for ten minutes and drain them well.

Storing it

Keep whole onions somewhere cool, dry and well ventilated, out of direct sunlight, in a basket or open bowl rather than a sealed plastic bag. Kept like that they last longer than most vegetables. A cut onion goes into a covered box in the fridge, and it's best used within a few days. Peel off the dry skin and rinse just before cooking.

Where it comes from

Grown to certified organic standards. The certificate for each lot is shown when you trace your pack.

Every pack will carry a lot code. Enter it on the Trace your pack page and you will see the farms in that lot, the harvest date and the certificate.