Ginger scallion sauce (姜葱酱) is a fragrant crowd-favorite Chinese condiment. It is a multipurpose sauce that you can use for various meat or vegetable dishes, rice, and noodles, you name it! Whip this up in less than 10 minutes using your trusty food processor or blender.
What Is Ginger Scallion Sauce?
Let me break it down for you what ginger scallion sauce is made up of. As you may have guessed based on its name, you will need some chopped green onions (scallions) and ginger. This gives you that delightful fragrance of these aromatics, the warm and spicy ginger and pungent scallions.
What makes my ginger scallion sauce so unique is my secret ingredient, sand ginger. Sand ginger is different from your regular ginger because its flavor profile is more peppery, slightly sour, and with notes of camphor-like taste. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until fully ground.
To fuse the flavors, pour hot oil and let that sizzle. I am not lying when I say its aroma is so addicting! To enhance the sauce, just sprinkle some salt and MSG (optional).
You may be wondering how to use ginger scallion sauce in your meals. Basically, you can pair it with almost any dish, whether meat or vegetables. It’s great for stir-fried, fried, rice, noodle, or soup dishes.
Use it as an add-on flavoring ingredient for your recipes or as a dipping sauce for Chinese poached chicken or steamed dishes. Top it on your plain white rice for extra flavor or incorporate it in your fried rice dishes such as Chinese egg fried rice (蛋炒饭). Plus, you can even mix this into your favorite dumpling sauces for an extra kick, like my four dumpling sauce recipes.
Looking for more homemade Chinese spices, condiments, or sauces? Check out these easy-to-follow recipes:
- Chinese Yu Xiang Sauce
- Chinese Five Spice Powder
- Salt And Pepper Seasoning Using 6 Spices
- Chinese Black Bean Sauce
- Fermented Black Beans
- Fried Shallots In Oil
- Crispy Fried Garlic
- Thai Roasted Chili Paste
- Sweet Soy Sauce
- Soy Sauce Vinegar Recipe (Dumpling Sauce)
- 6 Hot Pot Dipping Sauces
Ingredient Tips And Recommendations
Before starting with the recipe steps, have a look at this section where I share several ingredient tips and alternatives. Moreover, I give a few recommendations on which alternatives to go for.
- Green onion: Green onions, which you may also know as scallions, make the sauce green and have a pungent, oniony taste. I used both the green and white parts and chopped them into bits. You can swap green onions with spring onions or chives if needed. Spring onions are sweet and pungent, whereas chives are light and mild with a mild garlic taste.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger lends a rich spicy, warm taste with hints of citrus. I cleaned and peeled the ginger before blending it with the rest of the ingredients.
- Sand ginger: Sand ginger is also known as aromatic ginger, shā jiāng, or 沙姜. You can buy this in dried powder or fresh. When buying sand ginger, its flesh is typically more pale than common ginger. Moreover, its skin is woodier and darker. If you can’t find sand ginger, replace it with more regular ginger.
- Hot oil: Once everything is blended, hot oil is poured to let the flavors meld and release their aroma. To produce hot oil, simply heat it in a pan until it starts to bubble and sizzle. I recommend heating oil with a high-smoke point to reduce the amount of oil oxidized and to withstand heat longer. Oil with a high smoke point are avocado, peanut, canola, and corn oil. If you want a neutral taste, go for peanut, soybean, or vegetable oil. However, if you are going for a healthier option, use olive, avocado, sesame, or safflower oil.
- Salt: It wouldn’t be right without some salt, the all-purpose flavor booster. It brings out the flavors of the green onions and ginger. Use any type of salt, such as sea salt, pink salt, and kosher salt.
- MSG (optional): I know, I know. It may have a bad rep for some but it is generally safe to consume in very small amounts. It’s okay to omit this if you prefer non-MSG. Opt for any of these flavor boosters and adjust to taste:
- Light soy sauce
- Seasoning sauce
- Sesame oil
- Chinese five-spice powder
- Bouillon powder
Ingredients And Kitchenware To Prepare
Apart from a knife for chopping, the 2 pieces of kitchenware you need are a food processor (optional) for blending and a pan for heating oil. I also recommend getting a clean spice glass jar with a lid to store the prepared sauce. Glass containers are always the best in preserving the flavor and aroma since they are impermeable and non-porous, meaning no air or bacteria can penetrate through.
Here are the ingredients to prepare:
- 1 bunch of green onions (chopped, both green and white parts)
- 2 knobs of ginger (peeled and chopped)
- 1 piece of sand ginger (chopped, optional)
- 3 tablespoons of hot oil
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/4 tsp of MSG (optional)
6 Steps To Make Ginger Scallion Sauce (姜葱酱)
Blend, add hot oil, and season–these are the main steps to keep in mind. You can complete the steps in less than 10 minutes! For more visual guidance, watch my short tutorial video on Instagram or TikTok.
Finished making this recipe? What do you think of the taste and did you customize it? Share your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment and tagging me @kitchenmisadventures.
- Clean and peel off the skin of the ginger. Chop it into small pieces.
- Wash the green onions and chop them into small pieces including green and white parts.
- Clean the skin of the sand ginger and chop it into bits. I only added 1 piece, but feel free to add more if you want to boost its taste in the sauce. You can also omit it if preferred.
- Next, transfer all the chopped fresh ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until you achieve a smooth paste. Place the blended mixture into a heat-resistant bowl. I prefer using a food processor for convenience, but you can also crush the ginger with the flat side of a knife and finely chop the scallions if you don’t have a food processor or want a better texture.
You can see in the video how I crush the ginger using the flat side of a knife. - Then, heat up 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan until it’s hot and fragrant. Carefully pour the hot oil over the blended ginger and scallion mixture. Hear that sizzle and smell the delightful fragrance!
- Add salt and a touch of MSG if using, mixing everything together thoroughly. Adjust to taste.
Let it cool before transferring it into your clean spice glass jar. Store it in the fridge for up to 1 month–that is, if there are still left at that time. I am pretty sure there won‘t be because you will be finishing this fast since it is so good!
Homemade Chinese Ginger Scallion Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of green onions chopped, both green and white parts
- 2 knobs of ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 piece of sand ginger chopped, optional
- 3 tablespoons of hot oil
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/4 tsp of MSG optional
Instructions
- Clean and peel off the skin of the ginger. Chop it into small pieces.
- Wash the green onions and chop them into small pieces including green and white parts.
- Clean the skin of the sand ginger and chop it into bits. I only added 1 piece, but feel free to add more if you want to boost its taste in the sauce. You can also omit it if preferred.
- Next, transfer all the chopped fresh ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until you achieve a smooth paste. Place the blended mixture into a heat-resistant bowl. I prefer using a food processor for convenience, but you can also crush the ginger with the flat side of a knife and finely chop the scallions if you don't have a food processor or want a better texture.
- Then, heat up 3 tablespoons of oil in the pan until it's hot and fragrant. Carefully pour the hot oil over the blended ginger and scallion mixture. Hear that sizzle and smell the delightful fragrance!
- Add salt and a touch of MSG if using, mixing everything together thoroughly. Adjust to taste.
