Ginger Green Onion Sauce: Origin and Food Pairings
Ginger Green Onion Sauce (Gēung Yùng, 薑蓉), also known as green scallion sauce or ginger scallion oil, is hands down one of my all-time favorite sauces/condiments! It’s a savory oil-based ginger sauce that when directly translated means “ground or melted ginger”. The recipe is a familiar Chinese sauce served alongside popular Chinese dishes – typically used as a dipping sauce for your meat or vegetables.
I love to put this on everything: steamed fish, soy sauce chicken, noodles, grilled pork chops, fried eggs, spam, all types of seafood, etc.
Watch the recipe video recap
However, my favorite thing to eat it with though is simply just in a small bowl of good ol’ white rice🍚
The best thing about this sauce recipe is that it’s so easy to make and inexpensive. You can make a large batch of them at once and store them in a sealed container for future meals! Now you know the “secret sauce” from Chinese restaurants 😝
Pro Tip:
– Some recipes add a few drops of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar to add complexity and balance
Use Ginger Green Onion Sauce with different types of food too!
Don’t think that this is just for Asian cuisine though! It’s very versatile so take this recipe and get creative:
– Spread on pizza, a grilled piece of sourdough, or flatbread
– Use to toss your favorite pasta or vegetables as a pesto or dressing
– Add cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to turn it into a “chimichurri”
– Make it the base for a flavourful marinade
– Brush onto anything you are grilling
P.S: It’s vegan, gluten-free, and low carb 😉
Ginger Green Onion Sauce
Course: sides, lunch, dinner, snacksCuisine: asian, chineseDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes5
minutesGēung Yùng 薑蓉 Ginger Green Onion Sauce✨
It’s a savory oil-based sauce that when directly translated means “ground or melted ginger”
I put this on everything: steamed fish, soy sauce chicken, noodles, grilled pork chops, fried eggs, spam, all types of seafood, etc.
However, my favorite thing to eat it with though is simply just some good ol’ rice🍚
Ingredients
1 cup Finely Sliced Green Onions (~5 stalks)
3 tablespoons Fresh Ginger, finely diced
1 teaspoon of salt or Soigne Seasoning “MSG” (or both)
1/2 cup Neutral Cooking Oil
Pinch of White pepper
Directions
- Peel the raw ginger and finely mince into very small pieces
- Thinly slice some green onions – keep both the green parts and white parts!
- In a heatproof bowl, add the ginger, green onions, and white pepper
- Season with some salt or MSG, to your own preference and taste
- Heat up a small pot or saucepan with neutral oil on high heat until it is smoking
- Pour it directly onto your bowl of scallions and ginger. This will bubble so make sure to use a large bowl
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge and use as needed
Recipe Video
FAQ’s
The extensive list of names is because Green Onions can also be referred to as scallions, green scallions, and spring onions. Some common names I hear tossed around are green scallion sauce, ginger-scallion sauce, green scallion and ginger oil, spring onion ginger oil, etc.
Typically, the common pairing would be with Chinese barbeque dishes and plain rice, such as barbeque chicken, pork (char siu), and Hainanese chicken to name a few. It’s also a popular option to put on grilled pork chops, soy sauce chicken, leafy vegetables, tofu, noodles, stir fry, steamed fish, and all types of seafood. The choice is really up to your tastebuds!
The sauce should last about 2-3 weeks max. It’s OK to bring out a small bowl to serve from at room temperature while eating with the whole family, but make sure to store it in the fridge in a sealable container after you’re all done eating.
If you are handy with your cutting skills, you can use the back of your knife to peel the ginger skin off and cut it into very fine slices. You can also use a food processor or grater too, just make sure don’t grind it too much that it turns into mush!
Typically, a neutral-flavored oil is best for the hot oil base because it doesn’t have a strong taste. For example olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or peanut oil. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can enhance the flavor of the sauce by adding a tiny bit of sesame oil or chili oil!
