I’ve decided to share a recipe that we’ve been using in our family for years. I don’t know the origins of the sauce, but I believe mum did get it from a friend.  I’ve only rarely seen it in asian restraunts, and usually it’s some variation on the basic sauce.

Typically we have this sauce with steamed chicken, rice, and some sort of steamed asian veggies.  It does have a strong flavour, so it might not be to everyone’s tastes.

Other suggested uses are to add it to a chicken or fish soups, or with noodles. But I’m a fan of the basic chicken and rice addition.

Disambiguation: Shallots, Shallots, or Shallots?

When I say Shallots, I’m referring to the vegetable also known as Scallions, Spring Onions, or Green Onions. And, because that still doesn’t necessarily clarify things, look at the pic on the left. Those are what you need to make this sauce.

Do not, under any circumstances confuse these with French Shallots, which also known as “eschalots” in NSW, Australia. Someone I gave this recipe to once got the two mixed up, and ended up with this godaweful mess with a horrible aftertaste.

Ingredients

These are approximates only, please adjust to taste.

• 1/2 Bunch Shallots (3-4 medium size shoots)
  Washed carefully and trimmed of any roots, dead/dry bits, etc.
• 1-3 tablespoons of salt (adjust to taste)
  I use rock salt, but ordinary table salt is fine. Especially if you don’t have a good mortar and pestle.
• 1 ‘knob’ of fresh ginger (not from a jar)
  Aproximately the length of a thumb, peeled.
• 3-5 tablespoons of good olive oil.
  I use olive oil, others may choose to use another type of oil suitable for salads.

I recommend that you also have a good quality solid stone Mortar and Pestle, however this can be prepared in a food processor, but it does significantly change the look (it goes whiteish due to the air introduced).

Preparation

1. Trim the shallots (scallions) so that you remove all bar about 5cm of the dark green hollow tops. Discard the tops, keep the bottom of the shoots.
   (We want to keep all of the white, and light green sections - but only a small proportion of the hollow dark green portion)
2. Slice the shallots finely and place into your mortar or food processor.
   Note: If your mortar and pestle isn’t large enough to hold all of the shallots comfortably at once, you can just add a smaller amount at first and come back later.
3. Dice the peeled lump of ginger finely, and place about 3/4 into the mortar/food processor.
4. Add a tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of oil to the mortar/food processor.
5. Using the pestle, grind/crush/pound the contents of the mortar - or pulse in a food processor - until the shallots and ginger are pulverised.
   Note: When using a food processor, be sure to use quick bursts.
6. Taste the sauce, and if necessary add more ginger, or salt. and pulverise
   The sauce should definitely be salty, but still allow the flavours of the ginger and shallots to intermingle.
7. Once to taste, add more oil to ensure there is a good covering.
   Adding more oil will allow you to ‘dilute’ the strong flavour when used on rice/vegetables.

Serve it in a shared bowl on the table, and let people drizzle a small amount on their rice/chicken/etc. Don’t go overboard with the sauce until you’re used to it

This sauce can be stored inside a sealed glass jar for several days in the fridge. Don’t use gladwrap/saran wrap to cover, as the flavours/smells will contaminate everything else in the fridge.  Despite how much I like this sauce, Shallot flavoured milk is *not* something you want with your tea/coffee/cereal.

Preparation Time: Approximately 15-20 minutes (about the same amount of time as it takes to cook rice using the Absorbtion method)

Serves: Between 2 and 4 people.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.