As the saying goes: "Eat scallions often in spring, and you'll feel light and easy." Scallions in spring are the most nutritious, tender, fragrant, and delicious of the year. Due to the climate and soil, scallions grown at this time are not just a seasoning but a special tonic. They help restore the body's functions and replenish heat. People with anemia, low blood pressure, or a sensitivity to cold should eat more of them.
Scallion Beef
Ingredients: 1 piece of rump beef, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 section of scallion, 2 slices of ginger, 1/3 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon MSG, 1/3 teaspoon sugar, 1/3 teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon starch, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/2 tablespoon vinegar.
Instructions: Slice the beef thinly, cutting perpendicular to the grain. Shred the scallions, ginger, and cut the cilantro into four pieces. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the vinegar with the beef slices. Add some shredded ginger and toss well. Marinate for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a wok, add ginger and stir-fry briefly. Add the marinated beef and stir-fry quickly until the color changes. Add the vinegar, stir quickly, and turn off the heat. Add the cilantro and scallions and use the remaining heat to soften them slightly before serving.
Scallion Oil Chicken
Ingredients: 1 young chicken, star anise, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, scallions, cooking wine, toasted white sesame seeds, salt, pepper, sugar to taste.
Instructions: Clean the young chicken. Prepare the star anise, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, and scallions and stuff them into the chicken's cavity. Seal the opening with toothpicks. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the stuffed chicken, and pour in some cooking wine. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam for another 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and soak it in an ice bath. In a bowl, combine a large spoonful each of minced ginger and minced garlic, two large spoonfuls of chopped scallions, a little salt, pepper, sugar, and some toasted white sesame seeds. Heat three large spoonfuls of scallion oil in a pan and pour it over the mixture in the bowl. Add two large spoonfuls of the chicken cooking broth and mix well to make the scallion oil sauce. Take the chicken from the ice bath, drain it, and serve by dipping it in the scallion oil sauce.
Scallion Oil Pancake
Ingredients: 300g all-purpose flour, 150ml boiling water, 1 tablespoon salad oil, an appropriate amount of chopped scallions, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Instructions: First, make a hot water dough. Sift the flour into a basin. Pour boiling water into the flour and use chopsticks to mix the inner part of the flour with the water to form a lumpy texture. Then, knead with your hands into a dough and let it rest. Roll the rested dough on a floured surface until smooth. Roll it into a large round sheet. Brush a layer of salad oil on top. Evenly sprinkle salt, black pepper, and chopped scallions over the dough. Roll it into a long log, then coil it into a spiral shape. Pinch the end to seal and let it rest for 5 minutes. Roll the coiled dough into a flat pancake. Heat a flat-bottomed pan, add a thin layer of salad oil, and place the scallion pancake in it. Fry over low heat until both sides are golden brown and crispy.