A step by step recipe guiding you to make Chinese spring onion oil (aka scallion oil) without fail. You will also learn how to use this versatile condiment in seven ways.
In a typical Chinese kitchen, you can always find three indispensable herbs: spring onion (aka scallion or green onion), ginger and garlic. They are common ingredients yet give dishes so much aroma and flavour. Unlike ginger and garlic which can be kept at room temperature for quite a while, spring onion doesn’t last that long, even when kept in the fridge. That’s why a jar of homemade Chinese spring onion oil (葱油, aka scallion oil) comes in handy.
7 ways to use spring onion oil
Chinese spring onion oil can be used in many ways. It’s truly worth having it in your kitchen. Not only does it provide a unique aroma to dishes, but it will also save you lots of time in everyday meal preparation.
- For noodles. This seasoned oil is the star ingredient for the famous Shanghai spring onion oil noodles, a delectable dish that can be served in a few minutes as a quick and filling breakfast/lunch.
- For stir-fry. This will save you time buying, washing and chopping fresh spring onion. I often use it (instead of cooking oil) to cook fried rice.
- For salad. You can use it for all type of Chinese salad dishes to replace sesame oil.
- For steamed dish. For example, it’s a brilliant addition to steamed fish (e.g. Steamed salmon) thanks to its strong, infused flavour.
- For soup. Simply pour a few drops over a finished soup to add an extra zing.
- For marinade. Use it to replace regular oil to give meat more fragrance.
- For bread. For Chinese pan-fried bread, such as Spring onion flatbread, Spiced beef flatbread, etc., use it to replace regular oil when you don’t have fresh spring onion to hand.
3 tips to ensure the desired result
The making of Chinese spring onion oil is pretty straightforward: just simmer spring onion in oil over medium-low heat, then cool and store. The traditional recipe usually calls for spring onion only. I like adding one more ingredient to the recipe: shallot or onion. This will enhance the fragrance and flavour of the finished oil. A few tips for helping you achieve the desired result:
- The lower the heat is, the longer will it take you to simmer. However, an extended process will extract more flavour from the shallot and spring onion, thus the oil will be more aromatic.
- It takes me 25 minutes or so to complete the simmering over medium-low heat. Do keep a close eye on it as you don’t want to over-fry the ingredients which might leave an unpleasant burnt flavour in the oil.
- To make this recipe even simpler, you may skip shallot/onion and only use spring onion. If you don’t wish to store up a big batch, please feel free to cook a small amount as required.
How to make & use spring onion oil (葱油)
Ingredients
- 480 ml cooking oil (sunflower/rapeseed/vegetable, etc.) , 2 cups
- 150 g shallot or onion, 5.3oz
- 150 g spring onion, 5.3oz, about 15 stalks
Instructions
- Peel shallot then thinly slice. Wash spring onion then dry thoroughly with kitchen towel/paper. Cut into long sections (separate the white part and the green part).
- Pour oil into a wok (or a deep frying pan). Heat over medium-low heat. Add shallots then leave to simmer until it becomes lightly brown. Turn off the heat (see note 1 & 2). Take out the shallot pieces with chopsticks.
- Turn the heat back on. Add the white part of the spring onion. Leave to simmer over medium-low heat until it wrinkles a bit. Add the green part of the spring onion. Turn off the heat when it turns brown (see note 1 & 2).
- Pour the oil into a sterilized, airtight jar. Store in the fridge and use it within a month. Use a clean spoon each time you use the oil.
A SIMPLE & FAST VERSION:
- You may use only spring onion and cook on a slightly higher heat thus the simmering time will be shorter. Make sure to observe closely during the process to avoid burning.
NOTES
Hope my post encourages you to make and store this versatile condiment in your kitchen. Check out the “Pantry” section in the blog menu to discover more recipes of homemade Chinese condiments.
Have a great day!
I need to try this!!
Great! I will soon post more recipes using this oil.
Can you use peanut oil?
Yes, absolutely! In fact, peanut oil is very popular in Chinese household. I didn’t mention it as in England where I currently live it’s not that common.
Thanks for sharing about how to make and use spring union oil. I like it.
My great pleasure Robert!
How long will this oil last? Do I keep it in the fridge?
Hi Chris, it’s better to keep the oil in the fridge and use it up within a month.
Hi Wei, would this recipe work for garlic chives (chinese chives) and for regular (oniony) chives? Every now and then I get a big bunch (as in almost a pound) of each from a relative who grows them and I love their flavor but, as you know, you cannot keep them in the fridge for long, especially the garlic chives.
Hi Mihai! You can surely use regular chive for this recipe. As its flavour is not as strong as spring onion, I suggest you increase its volume. However I don’t think it works for Chinese chive. Have a look at my recipe of “Chinese chive pockets”. It’s a great way to cook Chinese chive. You can freeze the pockets as soon as they are assembled and fry the normal way (without defrosting) whenever you fancy them. Alternatively, you could use Chinese chive to make some Pesto. Find a classic Italian pesto recipe and replace basil with Chinese chive. You can freeze leftover Chinese chive pesto in ice cubes for later consumption.
Hope this is helpful to you. Happy cooking!
Hi Wei, I made a bowl of scallion oil from your recipe and used it for Shanghai scallion oil noodles. It was delicious. Thank you.
My pleasure! Very happy to know you enjoyed the recipe.
Hi Wei,
I love this oil! I made a small batch and I used it in 2 days! My favourite was pouring a little over a prawn foo yung instead of the brown Chinese gravy I usually make and it was super delicious.
It reminded me of a spring onion condiment I ate in China which is one of my favourite things to eat in the world!
So happy to know you liked it. Sounds yummy with prawn foo yung!
Hi Wei,
Can I use leeks instead of spring onions? I ran out of spring onions and leeks are the only thing I have. Thanks!
Yes Andrei you can use leeks instead. The flavour would be a little different but still nice.
Would olive oil work for this recipe?
Yes, you may use olive oil for this recipe.
Hi – Just found this recipe and discovered your blog and love it! Looking forward to trying this recipe out, and many others.
Thanks Tina! I’ve been following you on IG. Love your breakfast creations!
Hi,
Just wondering if canning is an alternative way instead of placing it inn the fridge. Thanks
Hi Vans! I assume it’s ok but I’m not 100% sure as I’m not familiar with canning fat/oil. Maybe you can search more information online about home canning.
I don’t understand if I did it correctly, were they actually supposed to turnn brown or do you mean dark muddy green? I’m not sure if I simmered them long enough.
When the green part of the spring onion turns lightly brown, it should be done. As I mentioned in the recipe, it took me about 15 minutes to simmer the shallot then about 10 minutes for the spring onion.
Hi, I’m curious… can you leave the onions and shallots in the oil the whole time, or do you need to take them out before storing the oil in the fridge? Also, I have an empty jar with a lid, if it’s clean, will that work?
Hi Julian! I wouldn’t leave the onions and shallots in the oil for too long. Yes, you can use a regular jar with a lid.