Scallion Sauce Recipes

CARAMELIZED-SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• In a tall-sided saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat.
• Trim the roots from 2/3 of the scallions, and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Pulse the scallions in a food processor until finely minced. (You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice.) Add 3/4 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and pulse until wet and puréed. Carefully add the purée to the oil (the oil should be warm, not hot, but be careful of splatters).
• Raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring, until it reaches a boil. Turn the heat down to maintain a mellow but insistent sizzle. Cook, stirring every few minutes to make sure the bottom and sides aren't sticking and browning, until the purée is army green, just starting to take on brownish tones, and goes from thick and clumpy to very liquid in the pot, around 35 minutes. In truth, it's ugly. (You can cook it further to get a more browned, caramelized flavor if you like, but don't let it get dark.)
• Meanwhile, trim the roots off the remaining scallions, and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Pulse them in the food processor until they are finely minced but not puréed. Remove the scallions to a bowl and stir in another 3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt. When the purée in the pot is ready, carefully stir in the minced scallions, and turn the heat up to high. Bring it back to a boil, stirring, and then remove the sauce to a heatproof bowl to cool to room temperature. When it has cooled, taste, and add more salt if desired.
• Store in a jar, topping it with a little oil if necessary to keep everything submerged. The sauce keeps, refrigerated and under oil, for a couple of weeks.

SCALLION-GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir together the ginger, scallions and 1 teaspoon salt in a heatproof medium bowl.
• Heat the oil over high heat in a small pot until it just starts to smoke or registers 375 degrees F on a digital thermometer, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully pour the hot oil over the scallion-ginger mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Serve as a condiment for bai qie ji (white cut chicken).

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM JUK WITH SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine rice with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, combine chicken, halved scallions, garlic, half the ginger and 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, skimming any foam and fat that rises to the top. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer chicken to a large bowl and let stand until cool enough to handle. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard solids. You will have about 12 cups of broth.
• Clean out the pot or Dutch oven, then heat the sesame oil over low. Add drained rice and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and carrot, and stir until pan is very dry, scraping up the rice that sticks to the bottom, about 1 minute. Add 8 cups of the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. (Reserve or freeze remaining broth for future use.) Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced, rice is plump and a porridge forms, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, julienne the remaining ginger and transfer to a small bowl. Add the chopped scallions, safflower oil and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.
• Remove skin from the cooled chicken and discard. Shred chicken meat and discard bones. Reserve 4 cups of the shredded chicken for the juk and save the remaining chicken for another use. Add the spinach and 2 cups of the reserved chicken to the juk and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide juk among bowls. Top each with some of the remaining 2 cups chicken and drizzle with the scallion sauce. Serve with soy sauce and chile oil or hot sauce on the side, if desired.

SALT-BAKED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN WITH GINGER SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• Measure out 1 tablespoon salt from the box into a small bowl; add the 1 tablespoon sand ginger powder and the white pepper and mix well until combined. Measure out 1/4 teaspoon salt from the box into a medium heatproof bowl. Set both bowls aside.
• Pat the chicken dry all over with paper towels then transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides of the chicken with the Shaoxing wine; evenly sprinkle both sides with the sand ginger mixture and rub in. Let sit, skin-side up, in a cool place away from direct sunlight for 1 hour.
• During the last 30 minutes of the hour, pour the remaining salt from the box into a Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the temperature of the salt reaches 450 to 500 degrees F, 20 to 30 minutes. It's okay if the salt darkens slightly. Lower the heat to low.
• Prepare two 2 1/2-foot-long sheets of parchment paper on a work surface. Add the ginger slices and scallion segments in an even layer to one of the sheets; place the chicken on top with the legs pointing toward a short side of the parchment. Fold the long sides of the parchment over the chicken, followed by the short sides to fully wrap the bird. Feel free to roll the short sides for a tighter seal. Slide the twine under the parchment and tie up the package like a gift, crossing the ends across the middle lengthwise and crosswise. Repeat wrapping and tying the chicken with the second sheet of parchment and second piece of twine.
• Carefully transfer half of the hot salt from the Dutch oven into another medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
• Level the remaining salt in the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon to create an even layer at least 1/4 inch deep. Nestle in the wrapped chicken, breast-side up. Pour the reserved hot salt directly on top. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat for 50 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes. The residual heat will continue to cook the chicken.
• Meanwhile, add the sugar, grated ginger, minced scallions and remaining 1/4 teaspoon sand ginger powder to the reserved 1/4 teaspoon salt; mix until well combined then set aside.
• Add any reserved fat from the chicken to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and any solids are dark brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the amount of chicken fat). If rendering the fat does not yield 1/2 cup of liquid, make up the difference with the store-bought rendered fat or neutral oil and heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the hot fat at a time to the ginger scallion mixture; if it bubbles up, let it settle for about 15 seconds after each addition. Stir until everything is combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
• When the 30 minutes are up for the chicken, remove the lid and brush off as much salt as possible with a wooden spoon. Carefully transfer the parchment package to a large cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Cut the twine and unwrap the chicken. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should reach 165 degrees F and the juices should run clear. Allow it to rest, unwrapped, for 15 minutes.
• To carve the chicken, remove the legs and cut each into drumsticks and thighs. Carve out the wings then remove each breast and slice it to your desired thickness. Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Feel free to pour any accumulated juices over the chicken or serve on the side in a bowl. Serve with the ginger scallion sauce on the side.

MAHI-MAHI IN GINGER SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim the roots from the scallions. Reserve four of the scallions. Cut the white part off the remaining scallions and chop finely. Trim the green of any wilted leaves and slice into one-inch lengths.
• Place the sesame oil in a medium-sized saucepan along with the white part of the scallions and the shallots, and cook over low heat until they soften but do not take on any color. Add the ginger and chicken stock and continue cooking over medium heat until the stock has reduced to two-thirds of a cup. Strain the reduced stock through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, forcing as much of the solids as possible through the sieve. Set aside.
• While the stock is reducing, blanch the green part of the scallions for a few seconds in boiling salted water, drain and immediately drop into ice water to set the color. Drain again and puree in a blender, adding a few drops of water if necessary. Remove the puree and set aside, covered, until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
• Heat a nonstick skillet to very hot and briefly sear the four reserved scallions. Set aside.
• Season the fish with salt and pepper. Add the peanut oil to the nonstick skillet and sear the fish for a few seconds on one side, turn and sear a few seconds longer on the other side, just until it begins to take on color but is not cooked completely through. Transfer the fish to a baking sheet and place in the oven.
• Bring the reduced stock mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the green scallion puree. Add the lime juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the sauce on each of four warm plates, spreading it to cover the bottom of the plate. Top with a fish filet and place a seared scallion on the fish. Serve at once.

SCALLION SAUCE

Steps:

• In a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, combine scallions, butter, parsley, and lemon juice. Process until well combined. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill for 20 minutes.
• Heat cream in a small saucepan until reduced by half. Whisk in chilled butter mixture. Strain through a fine sieve and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.