But it has the potential to cause price swings that would make the row over onions look like small potatoes.

ECONOMIST: The charge-sheet against commodity speculators is flimsy

Every Tuesday to Friday from 5 to 7:30 pm, the chef prepares small plates of pickled button onions in raspberry vinegar, salted cod fritters, pizzette with anchovies and tomato and more, which are placed on the long bar for drinkers to help themselves.

BBC: Aperitivo hour comes to London

When browsing the spring onions, look for small bulbs and taut green stems.

WSJ: Spring Vegetables With Green Goddess Dressing

Whether it is avarai uttakka - local beans cooked with potato, tomato, onions, garlic and tempered with mustard seeds, or sandagai - roasted tomato sauteed with small onion, garlic and coconut ground to a fine paste - the "masala made carefully after dry-roasting 17 spices and not bought off the shops" is the key, Indira says.

BBC: India's homemakers recruited as hotel chefs