Origin of the ginger scallion sauce

Ginger scallion sauce is as delicate and special as its simplicity to make it. This sauce originates from South China and is well known by virtually every Chinese person. And people who normally do not eat ginger often still appreciate this sauce.  The sauce pairs perfectly with poached poultry and rice and is an inseparable part of the South Chinese New year’s dish “Bok Chit Gai” and of Hainan chicken rice.
The sauce can be stored for a full week in the refrigerator.

The art of making ginger scallion sauce

The pungent taste that ginger has we eliminate by a brief water wash. The diced ginger needs to be pressed out and lose quiet a bit of its juices.

The chicken powder and the sand ginger powder are primarily added for taste, although they also have some dispersion ability. This sauce remarkably does not easily separate, which means that the dispersion propensity of the chicken powder, the lesser galangal and the pressed-out ginger are effective.

Special equipment

  • none

 

ginger scallion sauce close-up ©️Nel Brouwer-van den Bergh

ginger scallion sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Condiment, Sauce
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 4 oz (120 g) peeled ginger
  • 1 oz (30 g) spring onion
  • 3 oz (80 g) cold vegetable oil
  • 4 oz (120 g) water
  • 1/4 tsp lesser galangal (sand ginger) powder
  • 1/2 tsp chicken powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

Making the dipping sauce

  • Slice the spring onions in very thin rings
  • Mince the ginger and dip in the water. Leave for 1-2 minutes
  • Take the ginger out using your hand and press out the water and juices as much as possible
  • Place the ginger in a bowl, add the salt and mix.
  • Add the sand ginger powder, chicken powder and mix evenly.
  • Let stand for 5-10 minutes
  • Add the cold vegetable oil and mix
  • Add the finely sliced spring onions, mix and serve
Keyword ginger, scallion, lesser galangal

 

Remarks

  1. Sand ginger or lesser galangal has a more pine tree flavor than the greater galangal. But you may substitute sand ginger by the greater galangal, if you have to. Ginger tastes different than galangal. Ginger is more pungent, galangal has also more cinnamon like flavors.

 

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