Japanese Savory Pickled Green Onions (Scallions)

By simply pickling green onions in a small amount of seasoning liquid, you can create an irresistible dish. Japanese Savory Pickled Green Onions is not only the perfect topping for rice but also delightful on its own or as a snack with drinks, making it a must-try for any green onion lover.

Japanese Savory Pickled Green Onions is a dish made by marinating sliced green onions in a seasoning liquid. Soy sauce and sesame oil are often used as seasonings, and their rich flavors perfectly complement the unique taste of green onions. Since this dish uses a large amount of green onions, it is an excellent way to use up any leftovers you might have in your fridge.

While green onions are often used as a garnish, marinating them in the seasoning liquid transforms them into a flavorful dish that stimulates the appetite. This dish is most commonly served as a rice topping but can also be mixed into stir-fries or used as a topping for salads, making it a versatile addition to many meals.

While green onions are known for their mild flavor, eating them raw in large quantities can result in a strong, pungent taste. This pungency comes from allicin, a compound found in green onions.

Allicin is a strong-smelling compound found in green onions as well as in regular onions and garlic, which provides health benefits such as reducing fatigue and improving blood circulation. However, its pungency can cause gastrointestinal issues if consumed in excess. Therefore, it is best to consume allicin in moderation.

In other words, when using a large amount of green onions, as in this dish, it is advisable to take steps to reduce their allicin content. Here are some common methods used in Japan to reduce the pungency of green onions after they are cut:

• Leave them exposed to air for about an hour.
• Soak them in water, then wrap them in a paper towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.
• Heat them.

Among these methods, soaking in water and squeezing out the excess moisture is especially recommended when making Japanese savory pickled green onions. This is because simply leaving them exposed to air doesn't significantly reduce their pungency, and heating them can alter their texture.

This method is commonly used in Japanese soba noodle restaurants and can help mellow the pungency without sacrificing too much of the flavor of the green onions. If you usually find green onions too sharp when used as a garnish, it may be worth incorporating this method into your routine as well.

This dish is primarily seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil, but one of its appealing features is the ability to customize the flavor by adding your favorite ingredients. Common additions include toasted sesame seeds, garlic, ginger, and la-yu (Japanese chili oil). In this recipe, I used sesame seeds to enhance the flavor of the sesame oil. You can add whatever you like, but if you do, it is recommended to keep the additions balanced so that the flavor of the green onions shines through.

You can enjoy this dish by changing how you cut the green onions. The most common way is to chop them into small pieces, but you can also cut them into longer lengths, about 1.6 inches (4 cm), or slice them thinly. The texture can vary depending on how you cut them, so feel free to experiment with different shapes to suit your taste.

Ingredients

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Instructions

🕒 Total: 40 mins mins

Step 1
Cut green onions into ⅕-inch (5 mm) pieces. Place them in a bowl of water and let them soak for 5-10 minutes.

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Step 2
Drain the green onions using a colander, wrap them in paper towels, and squeeze to remove any excess moisture.

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Step 3
Transfer the green onions to a storage container and toss them with sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to meld the flavors.

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To store

You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.