Ginger Scallion Oil
葱姜油 (Cong Jiang You)
Fresh, savory, and fragrant, ginger scallion oil is a ubiquitous Cantonese condiment. It’s served with poached or roast meats such as Hainanese chicken rice or crispy roast pork, alongside seafood like steamed fish or clams, and is even drizzled onto tofu, fried eggs, or noodles. If you’re a fan of ginger [1] and onions, you might just might find yourself putting ginger scallion oil on pretty much everything. Ginger scallion oil is simple to make at home (though it does require fresh, high-quality ingredients), and can last in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Ingredients
4 scallions
1½ inches fresh ginger
½ tsp salt or to taste
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Since we will be eating this ginger essentially raw, it is critical that the ginger you use is fresh and tender! Woody or old ginger will be less fragrant and have a very unpleasant texture in this sauce. Peel the ginger (a spoon is the best tool for the job), then finely mince it. Wash the scallions and finely chop them as well. How finely you chop up these aromatics is up to you—if you prefer a very smooth sauce, continue to mince until the ginger and scallions are nearly a paste. If you prefer a chunkier sauce with some texture, stop at a larger mince. When the ginger and scallions are minced to your liking, place them in a heatproof bowl, together with ¼ tsp salt (or salt to taste), and mix well.
Next, we will heat up about 1/3 cup of a neutral flavored vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Heating the oil will allow it to break down some of the ginger and scallion’s cell walls and extract more oil-soluble compounds, infusing the oil with more flavor. Since we will be pouring this oil over the aromatics, use a saucepan with a pour spout if possible. If you don’t have one of these, you can ladle the oil over the aromatics instead. If you really are squeamish about handling hot oil in your kitchen, however, just pour over some cold oil instead. The flavors will be less intense, but the sauce will still be tasty. Once small bubbles start rising from the bottom of the saucepan, the oil is hot enough. Carefully pour or ladle the hot oil over the ginger and scallions, and listen to the aromatics sizzle! Let the oil cool for at least 5 minutes, then give it another quick mix before serving.
This recipe scales easily, so feel free to double or even quadruple the amounts if you want to make a big batch for the refrigerator! You can serve this sauce alongside plenty of complex dishes, but ginger scallion oil is also excellent for elevating very simple preparations with a hit of aromatic freshness. For example, you can serve with some poached chicken, or pan-fried salmon, or even some instant ramen! The possibilities are endless.
Substitutions
If you want to add some spice to the oil, add some dried red chilies or Sichuan pepper to the ginger and scallions before pouring the hot oil over. You can also add a bit of soy sauce or Chinkiang rice vinegar to the oil after it cools.
[1] Ginger was first domesticated by the Austronesian peoples, and the plant spread with them across Asia and the Pacific. The Polynesians used ginger root to bless their great seagoing canoes, similar to the way modern ships are blessed with champagne during launch.
Recipe
Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 5 min Total Time: 15 min
(+5 min inactive)
Difficulty: 2/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: saucepan
Servings: 8
Ingredients
4 scallions
1½ inches fresh ginger
½ tsp salt or to taste
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
1. Chop the scallions, then peel and finely mince the ginger. Place the scallions, ginger, and salt in a heatproof bowl, and mix well.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat 1/3 cup vegetable oil until small bubbles form. Remove the oil from the heat and pour or ladle it over the ginger and scallions.
3. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.
