Browning onions isn't at all difficult, but it can take longer than you thought it was going to.

My method is to chop the onions small, and fry them gently in butter on a low heat. Preferably clarified butter, but if you've only got unsalted or even salted it's not going to make much difference. It can take 20 minutes or half an hour for the onions to brown, and the initial water-content of the onions will make a difference to the time. You're looking for a light brown, not a dark brown. They will reduce in volume as they brown.

It's best not to scorch them, but if they catch slightly it won't do any harm.

I lived in Bradford for 15 years, and I got some great recipes while I was there, one of which is a wonderful, but simple one for daal which I'll post later if anyone's interested.