Choosing shallots (cheriya ulli): how to pick and store them

By the Cochimart Kitchen Desk · Published 3 November 2026

Shallots: the short answer

Shallots (cheriya ulli, ചെറിയ ഉള്ളി) are the small, clustered onions that Kerala kitchens use every day. Choose bulbs that are firm, heavy for their size and covered in dry, tight, papery skin, with no green shoots, soft necks or black mould. Store them whole and dry in an open basket or a ventilated bag, away from sunlight, damp and other produce. Peel or cut shallots only when you need them, because cut bulbs spoil in days.

The key idea is that a shallot is a dormant bulb. It keeps best when it is dry on the outside, cool and able to breathe. Moisture, warmth and sealed plastic are what cause rot and sprouting.

You can see both onion names together in our vegetable names list.

What a shallot actually is

Wikipedia describes the shallot as a cultivar group of the onion, the Aggregatum Group of Allium cepa. Until 2010 the French red shallot was classified as a separate species, Allium ascalonicum, but the two were merged because the difference was too small to justify it. Like garlic, shallots form in clusters of offsets, so one planted bulb gives a small bunch. The skin can be golden brown, grey or rose red, and the flesh is off-white, often tinged with green or magenta.

University of Maryland Extension agrees on the botany: shallots and multiplier onions are Allium cepa var. aggregatum, perennial types that make a cluster of small bulbs and are usually grown as annuals.

The English name is used loosely in India. Wikipedia notes that in most Indian cuisines the line between onions and shallots is weak, and that larger shallots are sometimes confused with small red onions. It adds that southern India separates them more often, especially the tiny, finger-width types used widely in curries and sambar. In Kerala, cheriya ulli is the usual name for these small bulbs. Shallots taste milder than ordinary onions, and like onions they release substances that make the eyes water when sliced.

How to choose shallots

• Skin. The outer skin should be dry, papery and tight around the bulb. Wet, slippery or peeling-off skin points to damp storage.
• Firmness. Press the bulb gently. It should feel hard and solid. Soft spots, especially at the neck where the tops were cut, are the first sign of rot.
• Neck. The top of the bulb should be dry and narrow. A thick, green or wet neck means the bulb was not fully cured and will not keep.
• No shoots. Green shoots poking out show that the bulb has broken dormancy. It is still usable, but it will soften quickly and you should use it first.
• No mould. Look for black or grey dust on the skin or at the root end, and for dark, sunken patches.
• Weight. A shallot that feels light for its size has begun to dry out inside.
• Bruises. University of Maryland Extension stresses that careful handling to avoid bruising helps prevent storage rots, so avoid bulbs that have been crushed or dropped.

If you are buying a large bag, tip a few bulbs out and check the ones at the bottom. Rot spreads from one bulb to its neighbours.

Why curing matters

Shallots are harvested when their tops begin to die back and fall over. University of Maryland Extension recommends drying the pulled bulbs in the field for a few days and then curing them with the tops still on in a well-ventilated place out of direct sun for one to two weeks. The tops are cut about an inch above the bulb before storing, and the same source says thorough curing increases storage life.

For a shopper this explains the signs above. A well-cured shallot has a dry, closed neck and crisp skin. An uncured one has a thick, damp neck and goes bad within days. You cannot cure shallots at home once they are wet or sprouting, so choose them cured.

How long can shallots keep?

The published numbers describe cold, dry stores. FAO's storage table lists dry onions at 0 degrees Celsius and 65 to 70 percent relative humidity, with a storage life of 30 to 240 days, and garlic under the same conditions for 180 to 210 days. Wikipedia says fresh shallots can be kept in a cool, dry area at 0 to 4 degrees Celsius and 60 to 70 percent humidity for six months or longer. University of Maryland Extension gives six to seven months for onions in very cool, dry conditions, and two months or more in ventilated bags or boxes in a cool basement or garage.

A Kerala kitchen is warmer and far more humid than any of those stores, especially in the monsoon months. The figures show what the bulb wants, not what your cupboard can give. Our practical estimate is that well-cured shallots will last for a few weeks in an airy spot at home, and less in a hot, damp kitchen. It is an estimate, not a measured limit.

How to store whole shallots

1. Sort first. Pull out any bulb that is soft, sprouting or marked. Use those first and keep the sound ones apart.
2. Keep them dry. Do not wash shallots before storing them. Wet skin invites mould.
3. Let air in. Use an open basket, a mesh bag or a paper bag with holes. FAO describes natural ventilation as the simplest storage system and says it suits crops such as onions, garlic and pumpkins that store well under ordinary conditions. Sealed plastic traps the moisture that the bulbs give off and speeds up rot.
4. Keep them cool and dim. Choose a shaded shelf away from the stove, the sun and the dishwasher. University of Maryland Extension says warm temperatures induce sprouting.
5. Avoid freezing and wet fridges. The same source warns that sub-freezing temperatures injure bulbs, and FAO notes that freezing damages plant tissue. A domestic fridge is not a dry store, so whole bulbs often turn soft or mouldy in a sealed bag there.
6. Give them their own space. FAO advises against keeping different crops in one room for long because of odour contamination and differing humidity needs. A separate basket stops shallots from tainting fruit, and stops damp produce from wetting them.
7. Check weekly. Remove any bulb that has gone soft before it spoils its neighbours.

How to keep peeled or cut shallots

Once the skin is gone the bulb has no protection, and it dries out and turns slimy quickly. These steps are practical advice from our desk, not tested limits.

• Peel only what you expect to use in the next day or two.
• Put peeled bulbs in a clean, covered container in the fridge.
• Use cut shallots on the same day if you can, and within a day or two at most.
• Do not soak peeled shallots in water to store them, because wet bulbs spoil faster.
• Wash the container before reusing it.

Sprouted, soft or mouldy: what to do

• Green shoots only, bulb still firm. Use it soon. The bulb is past its best but not spoiled.
• Soft, wet or collapsed. Discard it. Soft rot spreads to other bulbs.
• Black or grey mould. Discard the bulb and wipe the basket. Wash your hands afterwards.
• Sour or fermented smell. Discard it, whatever the bulb looks like.
• Dry and wrinkled but firm. The bulb has lost moisture. Use it soon, since it will not recover.

When you find one bad bulb, check the whole basket at once. Damp or mould on one shallot can pass to the neighbours in a day or two.

Quick checklist

Related guides

Other kitchen staples have their own storage rules. See our guides to ginger, tapioca and sweet potato, check what is plentiful this month in the season calendar, or plan a shop with the grocery list maker.

Sources and useful links

• University of Maryland Extension, Growing onions (harvest, curing, storage and shallots)
• FAO, Manual for the preparation and sale of fruits and vegetables, Chapter 3: Storage (Table 5, onions and garlic)
• Wikipedia: Shallot (Aggregatum Group)

Frequently asked questions