Chinese Scallion Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Remembering the great scallion dipping sauce I so recently had at Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe - Oakland, I added cilantro to make a Chinese Scallion Cilantro Dipping Sauce to go with the Chao Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Rice Soup) I made for lil' sis.

You can either dip the chicken pieces into this sauce, or swirl a dollop into your rice porridge. And instead of porridge, this sauce would go really great with Ga Hap (Vietnamese Steamed Chicken).

If you've made pesto, then this is basically the same thing. Puree greens with garlic and oil. In this case, because you want the flavor of the scallions to come through, use a neutral oil like vegetable oil since olive or sesame oils would be too overpowering. I added only one clove of garlic and tiny knob of ginger to round out the flavors.




Chinese Scallion Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Inspired by the scallion dipping sauce at Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe - Oakland.

For about 1 cup of sauce, you'll need:
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems
3 stalks scallions
1/2 inch knob ginger
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable or other neutral-tasting oil

Wash and dry the cilantro and scallions. Loosely chop them and add into a food processor.

Scrape the peel off a tiny knob of ginger. Peel the clove of garlic. Add them into the food processor too.

Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Puree until sauce is to your liking. Taste and add salt or oil if necessary.

That's it. Serve with rice porridge or steamed chicken.




Enjoy!

Other green sauces that you might like:
Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Chili Sauce)
Chimichurri (Argentinian Green Sauce)
Pesto with Arugula and Walnuts
Pesto with Basil and Walnuts
Salsa Verde with Roasted Tomatillos

*****
1 year ago today, Choosing a Blog Host.
2 years ago today, prickly pear cactus fruits, golden kiwis, Taiwanese white melons, and yellow watermelons.