Having a jar of this ginger and scallion (spring onion) sauce is the best shortcut to a delicious dish. Drizzle over grilled meat or veggies, toss through noodles, or rice, and use as a topper for dips or as a salad dressing. It’s versatile, quick, easy and delicious.
I LOVE having a jar of this lovely sauce in the fridge. It really does brighten up any dish. There is a wee bit of chopping involved but honestly, I find it quite a therapeutic activity. You could use a food chopper or processor to make it faster if you like though.
I also often make a double batch – it keeps really well and it’s a lovely gift to give. Plus, it takes just 10 minutes to make and just delivers SO much flavour. Along with my favourite chilli oil, this is one of my favourite condiments.
Ingredients
The oil uses just four ingredients – plus salt – and no special equipment is needed.
- Ginger. The star of the show. Use fresh ginger if you can – it’s so superior in flavour and I do think you need it here.
- Scallions. I’m a raw onion hater but LOVE scallions and always have them on hand. I don’t hate the flavour of onion, but I really don’t like how sharp and overpowering it can be when raw. That’s why scallions are the perfect in-between for me. They’re mild but still oniony. This recipe uses 6 of them – try to get long ones if possible.
- Soy sauce. This and a little salt provides the seasoning for the sauce. Some traditional recipes call for it, some don’t, but I really like the savoury element it brings.
- Neutral oil. This needs a neutral-flavoured oil to really let the ginger and scallions shine. Stay away from olive oil for this one as it’ll be too strong. Rapeseed, canola, avocado or another vegetable oil would also be fine.
How to make it
Finely dice the ginger and chop the scallions finely, then put the ginger and the white parts of the scallions into a small bowl.
PRO TIP: Use a small spoon to peel your ginger, rather than trying to use a vegetable peeler or a knife. Using a spoon is easier, quicker and minimises waste. I know every time I try to peel ginger with a knife I end up chopping loads of actual ginger off!
Add the soy sauce and salt to the bowl and give it a mix through. Heat the oil for about 3 minutes. You can check it’s hot enough by putting the handle of a wooden spoon (or a chopstick) into the oil. If the oil bubbles vigorously around it, you’ll know it’s ready. Carefully pour the oil into the bowl with the ginger and spring onion (do be careful – it’s hot oil and you don’t want it anywhere near your skin!) Listen for the super satisfying sizzling, then let it cool for 10 minutes.
Once it’s cooled slightly, stir through the set-aside green parts of the spring onions. Leave to cool completely, then transfer to a clean jar or sealable container and store in the fridge.
Five ways to use the sauce
- Drizzle it on top of chicken poke bowls
- Spoon onto soft flatbreads to make a delicious dipper for edamame hummus
- Use it to replace the oil base in any salad dressing. It’s great in this crunchy Asian salad.
- Pour over steamed rice for an easy side or quick meal.
- Drizzle it on top of this delicious one-pot ginger chilli chicken orzo.
Got a question?
Stored in a covered container or a clean jar in the fridge, the oil will last for 3 weeks.
Yes! Just replace the soy sauce with tamari.
I really would recommend fresh ginger for this recipe, but you could use a good quality ginger paste or crushed ginger you can find in a jar in its place if you can’t find any. It won’t taste as fresh, but it will still be good.
Like this recipe? Here are some other sauces you might enjoy
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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Ginger and Scallion Sauce
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Having a jar of this four ingredient ginger and scallion sauce in the fridge is the best shortcut to a delicious dish. Drizzle over grilled meat or veggies, toss through noodles, or rice, and use as a topper for dips or as a salad dressing. It’s versatile, quick, easy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 100g/3.5oz fresh ginger
- 6 scallions
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari for a vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups sunflower oil (or another neutral-tasting oil like avocado, rapeseed, canola or vegetable oil)
Instructions
- Prepare the ginger and scallions. Start by peeling and chopping the ginger. You can grate the ginger if you like, but I quite enjoy the little chunks of ginger in this oil so prefer to chop it. It’s up to you! PRO TIP: Use a small spoon to peel away the skin of the ginger – it’s a lot easier than trying to cut the skin off, and you don’t lose any ginger doing it this way. Whenever I try to do it with a knife I end up wasting so much! Slice the peeled ginger into very small cubes, then pop into a small heatproof bowl. Separate the white part from the green part of the 6 scallions. Slice each part finely and place the white parts in the bowl with the chopped ginger. Set the green parts aside for now. Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of salt to the bowl as well and give it a mix.
- Heat the oil. Add 1 1/3 cups of sunflower oil to a small pot over medium heat. Heat for about 3 minutes. You can check it’s hot enough by putting the handle of a wooden spoon or one end of a chopstick into the oil – when the oil bubbles up vigorously around it, it’s hot enough and ready.
- Combine oil with ginger and scallions. CAREFULLY pour the oil into the bowl with the ginger and scallions. You’ll hear lots of lovely sizzling when this happens! Let the oil sit for 10 minutes, then add the set-aside green parts of the scallions. Transfer to clean jars and store in the fridge.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The sauce will last up to three weeks in the fridge in a jar or sealed container – my biggest tip to help it last longer is to ALWAYS use a clean spoon when you’re getting any out. This will help stop cross-contamination
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Drizzle it on top of your favourite dip (it’s great with edamame hummus or on top of labneh), spoon it on top of chicken poke bowls, sticky Korean style lettuce wraps or this one pot ginger chilli chicken orzo or use it as a dipping sauce for soft flatbreads or garlic naan or simply spoon it on top of steamed rice.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 2
- Category: sauces
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Keywords: scallion oil, ginger oil
Super delicious and so quick n easy
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed x
Can you use olive oil instead
A light olive oil would probably be fine – but regular extra virgin olive oil I think will be too strong in flavour so tends to overpower the ginger/spring onion x