Name: Ginger-Scallion Everything Sauce
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: ¼ cup vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 5 scallions , sliced thin; ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh ginger; 2 garlic cloves , chopped fine; 2 teaspoons ground white pepper; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Why This Recipe Works

This simple-to-make ginger-scallion sauce, common in Chinese Hainan cuisine, is a great addition to your kitchen arsenal—and it’s good on everything. The sauce draws floral spice from a healthy amount of fresh ginger, which gets its kick from a compound called gingerol. Gingerol is far milder than the capsaicin in chiles. But when ginger is dried, that gingerol turns into shogaol, which is twice as spicy as gingerol. For that reason, we add a little ground ginger and white pepper (which contains the spicy compound piperine) to boost background heat. Traditionally this condiment is served with poached chicken or head-on salt and pepper shrimp (both fantastic dishes), but it goes well with pretty much anything. Toss it with hand-pulled (or store-bought) noodles as an alternative to chili oil vinaigrette or use it to dress grilled vegetables (bok choy!), meat, or fish.

Photography by Kevin White

Food Styling by Catrine Kelty

Before You Begin

White peppercorns are actually the same berry as black peppercorns but are processed differently. Whereas black pepper is made by harvesting and drying unripe pepper plant berries, white peppercorns are fully ripened berries that have been soaked in water, allowed to ferment, and then stripped of their outer skin before being dried. Removing the outer skin strips away a lot of volatile oils and aroma compounds, resulting in milder heat, and the fermentation gives it more floral flavor. White pepper adds a ton of complexity to this sauce, and we highly recommend tracking some down if you don’t already have it in your pantry. If you are unsuccessful in your white pepper hunt, you can make the sauce without it, but you will be sacrificing complexity and flavor.

Instructions

Heat oil in small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, toss scallions, fresh ginger, garlic, white pepper, salt, and ground ginger together in heatproof bowl. Pour hot oil into bowl and stir to combine. (This hot oil pour-over technique very lightly cooks the ginger, scallions, and garlic, softening some of their raw bite and blooming their flavors.)

Stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Let stand for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Transfer sauce to airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. (This sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)