If the vibrant green hue of this scallion rice wasn’t enough to pique your curiosity, let me add that it has become our new standard side dish. Whether you’re Chinese or not, you’ll love this dish. Grilled meats and seafood, as well as stir-fries, will go well with this sauce.
In addition, the vibrant green hue of the scallions gives it a touch of elegance, befitting a dinner party or a special occasion.
Leave the white sections of the scallions alone (they’ll be used later) and purée the bright green bits into a paste in a food processor for the scallion rice. It is mixed with finished rice to give it a vibrant green hue that will remain even after the grains have been tossed in the skillet.
The food processor is used to finely chop the white pieces, which are then sautéed in oil to add flavor before being stir-fried with the rest of the ingredients.
You’ll need one unusual thing to make this dish. Actually, there are two, but the second one only applies to the ambitious.
Green Sichuan peppercorn-infused oil offers a more robust, aromatic, and citrusy flavor profile than its red counterpart (though you can substitute the red peppercorn version if you have it already). Adding green Sichuan peppercorn to this leafy salad also feels natural. Red Sichuan peppercorns and green Sichuan peppercorns have distinct flavors. Distinctive in a subtle way.
50Hertz sent us with a bottle of their excellent wine. A green Sichuan pepper called teng jiao, which has the maximum oil content, is available in Mala Market.
In the initial step of cooking, if you want to manufacture your own infusion, you can toss a teaspoon or two (or three, if you want it strong) of green sichuan peppercorns into the oil. To release their aroma, gently cook them until you’re ready to add the ginger, and then remove them.
However, in this situation, we found that the infused oil tasted best when utilized straight from the bottle.
The second essential component is the roasted rapeseed (canola) oil, cài zǐ yóu. Cài zǐ yóu is mostly used to manufacture chilI oil, a specialty product in Sichuan cuisine. It gives the oil a mild but distinct aroma.
However, I decided to use some of our extra supplies to make this fried rice, which came out well. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor and a golden color to an otherwise basic dish.
Ingredients:
- 12 large scallions
- 3 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1 slice of ginger (1/8-inch thick, 1-2 inches long)
- 5 cups of cooked jasmine rice
- 3 tablespoons of neutral oil (preferably Chinese cai zi you)
- 1-3 teaspoons of green Sichuan peppercorn infused oil (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt (to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon of MSG (optional)
Instructions:
- Use leftover rice if possible, but cook it first if you need to. Set it out on the counter and wait until it’s just warm to the touch. Use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to separate the grains of cold leftover rice. Make sure the rice can be stir-fried quickly and easily.
- Scallion greens should be sliced into 2-inch pieces; the white and pale green ends can be discarded (i.e., the bottom 3-4 inches of the scallion). The green sections of the scallions should be pureed in a food processor until you have a thick paste.
- With a rubber spatula, mix the scallion paste into the finished rice. After that, finely chop the scallion whites in a food processor.
- Oil and ginger should be added to a wok and heated over medium heat. You only need 30 seconds to cook. Fry the scallion whites for a minute or two until they lose their raw flavor. To avoid browning, please avoid overcooking. Once hot, add the rice and stir-fry in a single layer to ensure that it cooks thoroughly.
- Stir-fry the rice again, this time with the garlic, until it forms a thin, even layer. Mix in the MSG, salt, and oil infused with green Sichuan peppercorns (if using).
- Cook for about 5 minutes while stirring frequently. Again, browning or caramelization is something you want to avoid with the rice and scallions. You want the end product to be a beautiful, vibrant green.