Recipes with scallions

Korean Scallion Kimchi (Whole Stalk Anchovy Shrimp Paste)

Salted shrimp and anchovy fish sauce layer two kinds of seafood savoriness, and glutinous rice paste thickens the seasoning so it clings to the scallions even after they release water. Six hours at room temperature plus a day of chilling make it ready for grilled pork belly or bossam, and after three days or more its lactic sourness suits stews and stir-fries.

Prep 25min 0 4 servings

Prep 20min Cook 40min 2 servings

Okinawa Soba (Thick Wheat Noodles with Braised Pork Belly)

Despite the name, the noodles are thick wheat, not buckwheat, served in a clear bonito broth under pork belly braised sweet and salty in soy, mirin, and sugar. Because the pork carries so much seasoning, the broth gets only a light touch of soy so it stays clean. The cooked noodles get a brief rinse in warm water rather than cold, which removes surface starch without cooling them down, and bonito flakes on top add a smoky aroma.

Prep 12min Cook 10min 2 servings

Thai Crab Fried Rice (Khao Pad Pu)

Egg and scallion are about the only other things in the pan, so the sweetness of the crab comes through first. In Thailand it arrives with a wedge of lime on the plate for you to squeeze over yourself.

Prep 30min Cook 5min 4 servings

Korean Fermented Kale Kimchi

Kale's strong green smell mellows as it ferments while the leaves keep a firm bite, giving a kimchi that chews more than napa cabbage kimchi does. Julienned radish adds crunch, and soup soy sauce, rather than fish sauce, supplies the salty depth. Pear puree, or apple puree in its place, wraps the chili heat in fruit sweetness and balances the slightly bitter finish of the kale. It tastes best from the day after making, once the seasoning has settled into the leaves overnight.

Prep 15min Cook 20min 2 servings

Korean Street Stall Udon (Dashi Broth Fish Cake Noodle Soup)

Fish cake simmered right in the broth, a heap of dried seaweed flakes, and sliced scallions: this bowl recreates the udon sold at Korean street stalls, known as pojangmacha. The fish cake stays in for only about 5 minutes, since much longer leaves it soft and limp. The broth is a quick homemade dashi of kombu and bonito flakes, seasoned with both soup soy sauce and regular soy sauce for a balance of savoriness and color, plus a little sugar to round off the soy. The bonito flakes steep off the heat without stirring, which keeps the dashi clear. The soup stays clear because frozen udon is only blanched in a separate pot and placed in the bowl first, with the broth brought back to a rolling boil and poured over.

Prep 15min Cook 25min 2 servings

Korean Radish Rice (Julienned Radish Steamed with Short-Grain Rice)

Julienned radish is laid on top of the rice, not mixed in, and as it cooks its water and sweetness work down into the grains, leaving them moister and sweeter than plain rice. The soy sauce dressing waits until just before eating; stirred in early, it turns the rice mushy. Winter radish makes it noticeably sweeter.

Kimchi Easy

Korean Cubed Radish Kimchi

Cut into 2 cm cubes, the radish stays crunchy beside seolleongtang or gomtang, the milky beef soups it usually accompanies, and turns sweeter as it ferments. After salting, only the released water is poured off and the cubes go unrinsed, keeping in the salt and sugar they absorbed.

Prep 30min 0 4 servings

Prep 10min Cook 15min 2 servings

Rich Sea Urchin (Uni) Cream Udon

Half the uni melts into the cream sauce, spreading its briny sweetness through every strand of udon, while pollock roe (mentaiko) sauteed with garlic stands in for salt. The other half is kept raw for the top, so the same ingredient arrives in two forms: dissolved and creamy in the sauce, cool and custardy on top.

Korean Pollock Roe Butter Rice Bowl

The butter is split in two: half to cook the pollock roe for just a minute, half to melt over the hot rice. The roe comes off the heat the moment its color brightens, while the eggs still pop.

Prep 10min Cook 10min 2 servings

Prep 25min Cook 5min 4 servings

Korean Restaurant-Style Kkakdugi

Cut into chunky 2 cm cubes, the radish stays crunchy right to the center even after salting and a day of fermentation. Anchovy fish sauce builds the savory base as the kimchi ripens, and ginger tames the raw radish smell for a cleaner finish. With sweeter winter radish, the sugar can come down. After 24 hours at room temperature a light fizzy sourness appears, and from there the fridge takes over. In summer, cut the room-temperature rest to half a day so it does not turn too sour. In Korean restaurants it sits beside grilled pork belly and hot rice soups, cutting through their richness.

Prep 10min Cook 20min 2 servings

Shoyu Butter Corn Ramen

Butter melts slowly into a clear chicken and soy broth, leaving a rich, toasty aroma floating on top. Sweet corn and crunchy bean sprouts keep the salty broth from feeling heavy. The noodles boil in their own pot so their starch never clouds the soup, and the broth itself stays at a gentle simmer because hard boiling reduces it and pushes the salt up.

Tea Rice Bowl (Japanese Green Tea Poured Rice with Salmon)

Hot green tea is poured over rice topped with grilled salmon and laver flakes just before eating. As the salmon and soy sauce seep into the tea, the broth gets richer, and the wasabi on the side changes the heat each time a little more is stirred in. Some pour dashi instead of tea, or swap the salmon for umeboshi (pickled plum) or pollock roe.

Prep 10min Cook 10min 2 servings

Kimchi Easy

Korean Kohlrabi Kimchi (Cubed Gochugaru Fermented Crisp)

Denser and drier than Korean radish, kohlrabi cubes hold their crunch even as the kimchi ferments. Eaten right away it tastes light and fresh, almost like a salad; after three to four days in the fridge the fish sauce comes forward and it turns properly savory. It can take the place of kkakdugi, the cubed radish kimchi, or sit beside meat dishes. Twenty minutes of salting is enough once the surface tastes seasoned, with no need to wait for the cubes to bend.

Prep 30min 0 4 servings

Noodles Hard

Kumamoto Tai Somen

A whole red sea bream braised in soy and sake sits in the middle of a large platter, ringed by coils of somen for five people to share. In Kumamoto it is a celebration platter, and pairing a fish with long noodles carried hopes for a lasting marriage and ties between two families. Mamihara in Yamato keeps the grand wedding form, with the noodles laid out like white waves, while Amakusa makes a practical version from the head and bones left after sashimi. The braising liquid combines light and dark soy sauce with akazake (red sake) and regular sake, so the fish comes out glossy and sweet-savory. The strained liquid is spooned over the noodles only at the table, keeping them from turning soft before serving.

Prep 25min Cook 30min 5 servings

Rice Medium

Salmon Poke Bowl

Five minutes in soy and sesame oil is all the salmon gets: long enough to turn the surface glossy, short enough that the inside still eats like sashimi. The fish comes out of the marinade as soon as a light soy tint appears, before the soy takes over its flavor.

Prep 20min Cook 15min 2 servings

Prep 55min Cook 10min 4 servings

Butterbur Stem Kimchi

How long the stems simmer decides this kimchi: seven minutes in salted water, then half an hour in cold water, takes out the bitterness and the toughness, and undercooked stems keep both. Unlike the soy-pickled version, these butterbur stems are tossed in a red chili paste thickened with glutinous rice porridge. Gentle tossing matters, since squeezing hard breaks the crisp fibers.

Noodles Easy

Yangchunmian (Shanghai Clear Soy Broth Noodle Soup)

With only blanched bok choy and sliced scallions on top, the clear chicken broth seasoned with light soy sauce and the springy fresh noodles carry nearly all the flavor. White pepper and a few drops of sesame oil, added at the end, give the plain broth its aroma. This Shanghai noodle soup comes together quickly, which suits a fast breakfast or a light meal.

🥗 Lighter Meals

Prep 10min Cook 12min 2 servings

Egg Over Rice (Raw Egg Stirred into Hot Rice with Soy Sauce)

This is the Japanese home standby of raw egg and soy sauce over rice, with butter added. The butter melts in the middle of freshly cooked rice, and the raw egg cracked on top warms just enough in that heat to coat each grain in a silky layer. Since the egg is eaten raw, it should be very fresh.

Prep 5min Cook 5min 2 servings

Kimchi Easy

Korean Radish Sprout Kimchi

Radish sprouts are so thin that any pressure squeezes out water and a grassy smell, which keeps the tossing down to about 20 seconds with the fingertips, and the vinegar is added last for a brighter tang. Eaten right away, before the sprouts wilt, it is light and crisp; leftovers keep, chilled and sealed, for a day or two.

Prep 20min Cook 5min 4 servings

Noodles Easy

Yuzu Cold Soba (Chilled Buckwheat Noodles with Citrus Dipping Sauce)

Chilled buckwheat noodles get dipped in tsuyu sweetened and perfumed with yuzu marmalade, a softer, fruitier sauce than plain soba dipping broth. The sauce needs thorough mixing before it goes cold, because undissolved lumps of marmalade make some dips sugary and others flat. Any water clinging to the noodles thins that sauce with every dip. Grated radish, scallion, and wasabi stay on the side and go in a little at a time.