Ginger Scallion Sauce

One of my ESSENTIAL Chinese condiments is this sensational ginger & scallion sauce. An unassuming yet intensely flavourful little recipe. It’s the perfect spoonful of flavour over so many Chinese dishes and even just dolloped over plain rice. It’s a must-have for any Chinese dinner table.

If you're familiar with a Chinese banquet, you might also be aware of one of the greatest condiments the country has to offer! Ginger scallion sauce (姜葱酱) is one of the most aromatic and flavourful little spoonfuls ever!

Packed (and I mean packed) with flavour from fragrant ginger, scallions with a smoky hint of sesame. It's probably one of my most favourite little condiments to enjoy in ANY cuisine. I especially love it with another of my favourite Chinese dishes, Chicken Egg Foo Young - it works with so many foods, and even just spooned over plain boiled rice or noodles.

The great news is that ginger scallion sauce is super easy to make at home. It keeps for a while in the fridge too, so you can make sure you have it at hand whenever Chinese is on the menu.

What's Ahead?

What are scallions?

This vegetable are among the most annoying when it comes to their name. It would seem they have a million names around the English speaking world. I know them as spring onions, but I've heard them referred to as 'Scallions', 'Green Onions', 'Bunching Onions', 'Welsh Onions', 'Green Shallots', 'Gibbons' and 'Escallions'.

It's exhausting, especially when trying to write a recipe for everyone in the World. I'm sticking with Scallions for this recipe as this is generally what the sauce is called, regardless of what you call the actual vegetable. I've shown you a picture below too so there can be no confusion! Got it!? Good.

Why it works?

• It's intensely flavourful - Like any good condiment, ginger scallion sauce packs a punch, tailor made to enhance anything it adorns. A fragrant sweetness, sharpness and salty smokiness. It has it ALL! I would it eat it as a main course if left unsupervised.
• It's quick and easy - Making it at home is surprisingly speedy and simple. Just fry ginger and scallions briefly in oil then mix in salt & sesame oil. That's it.

Stuff You'll Need

There are only 5 ingredients to make ginger scallion sauce. Here's what you'll need:

• Scallions - A small bunch will bring all the mild, fragrance of onion.
• Ginger - use whatever you can get, but if you're lucky enough to spot young ginger/spring ginger (I was not sadly) then use that. Young ginger generally has a thin skin and just looks fresher. It has less woody texture and is more tender.
• Oil - I use peanut oil, but vegetable or sunflower will work too.
• Sesame oil - one of 'those' flavours that elevates any Chinese recipe. Add it once the ginger and scallions have cooked and cooled a little. It'll lose its delicate flavour if it gets too hot.
• Salt - the salt makes all the difference to the sauce.

Step by Step

Making this sauce at home is super easy and fast. We're not looking to cook either of the ingredients, merely adding to the oil briefly to help impart their flavour. You can also heat the oil until smoking separately, then pour over the chopped sginger and scallions. Either way is fine, but I prefer to make mine in the wok.

1. Step 1 - Chop the scallions finely and set aside.
2. Step 2 - Peel the ginger (use a teaspoon, it works well), then slice and finely dice. Be sure it's as fine as you can for the best texture and flavour.
3. Step 3 - Heat the oil in a wok until just rippling, then add the ginger. Let it sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
4. Step 4 - Add the scallions and then let them sizzle for 10-20 seconds. Tip everything to a bowl.
5. Step 5 - Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then add the salt and sesame oil and stir well. Leave to cool completely. Decant to a jar and refrigerate if you're using later.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

• Serving - Serve at room temperature as part of a Chinese banquet or alongside meats, vegetables and fish. Serve alongside rice or noodle dishes too or alongside dumplings as an alternative dipping sauce. Ginger scallion sauce works with literally anything savoury! One of my favourite ways to eat it is with leftover rice and a fried egg.
• Storage - Store in a jar in the fridge and it'll stay fresh for 2 weeks. The flavours actually improve over a few days, so making in advance is a win win situation all round. I don't recommend freezing as the oil can go a little 'funny' when defrosted.
• Takeout - make this sauce with no meal in mind too. It's great to have on hand if you order Chinese takeout at home. Remember to order an extra portion of rice too, so you can enjoy it the next day with a fried egg and a spoonful of ginger scallion sauce!

Ready to get cooking?

This recipe hardly requires any cooking but you get a lot of flavour for very minimal effort. Before I knew, I'd always assumed there was some hidden secret about what made this sauce so delicious, but there really isn't - it's two ingredients lightly fried in oil with a bit of salt and sesame. I make it regularly if I'm cooking Chinese, and I always make a double portion to ensure I'll have it at hand for a couple of weeks more.

Ginger scallion sauce is your super-power super-flavourful little sauce for all your Chinese cooked favourites. Hope you enjoy!

More Chinese recipes

If you a fan of Ginger scallion sauce, I'm sure you'll love more of my favourite Chinese recipes.

• Hainan Chicken and Rice
• Pork Rib Soup with Noodles
  
• Chinese Shandong Roast Chicken
  
• Chinese Oxtail Soup
  
• Duck Congee
  
• Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
  
• Chinese Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou (Instant Pot Style)
  
• Chinese Cucumber Salad
  
• Chinese Chilli Oil Dumplings
  
• Sticky Baked Chinese Chicken Wings
  
• Chinese Xinjiang Lamb Skewers

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