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Sauce recipe

Ginger Scallion Oil

Three ingredients, no cooking skill required, and it makes plain chicken and rice taste like a restaurant.

Makes
About 250ml
Ready in (mins)
10
Keeps
1 week in the fridge
Ginger Scallion Oil

This is the sauce served alongside Hainanese chicken rice, and it is the single best thing you can do to a boring piece of protein. Raw ginger and spring onion, salt, and hot oil poured over the top to half-cook them.

Grate the ginger rather than chopping it. You want it to melt into the oil rather than sit in it as chunks.

How to make it
  1. Combine the spring onion, ginger, salt and white pepper in a heatproof bowl and toss together.
  2. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until it just begins to shimmer, around 160°C. It should be hot enough to sizzle a piece of spring onion instantly, but not smoking.
  3. Pour the oil over the aromatics. It will hiss and foam. Stir once and leave it alone for a minute.
  4. Stir through the sesame oil and soy sauce.
  5. Taste and add more salt — it needs more than feels right, because it is going onto plain food.
  6. Serve warm, or cool and refrigerate.
The ratio
  • 4 partsNeutral oil
  • 2 partsSpring onion
  • 1 partGrated ginger
What you need
  • 1 large bunch spring onions, very finely sliced
  • 60g ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 tsp flaky salt
  • 150ml neutral oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
What to put it on

Poached or roast chicken, plain steamed rice, blanched greens, steamed fish, fried eggs, and noodles of any kind.