Don't call them side characters! A variety of main-dish green onion recipes

#CookingIsFun

A farmer friend gave me a huge pile of long green onions.

When asked how many I wanted, I answered "five" a bit generously, but
it seems they prepared at least 20.
The sense of quantity between farmers and general consumers is quite different.


— A conversation between young people I overheard at a cafe...

"I just can't do green onions, honestly."
"I get it. Green onions are just a garnish, anyway."

・
・

That's way too many to just use as a garnish!!
I'm going to enjoy them so much that I won't let anyone say they are "just" a garnish.
#MassConsumption isn't the goal; I want to make dishes where green onions are the star, using the unique qualities only they can provide.

With that, my green onion production fire was lit,
and various green onion dishes were born here.

The plan for creating green onion recipes

I didn't search for recipes.
Since I have so many, it doesn't matter if I fail. Experiments are welcome. Feeling that way, I started everything from pure imagination.

I jotted them down in my iPhone notes as soon as they came to mind.
Grilling, boiling, pickling. Not just limiting myself to cooking methods,
using a frying pan, an oven, charcoal. Furthermore,
layering, sandwiching, rolling. Also the forms.
"This and... that will definitely go together!"
"Oh! This is it...!"
I thought to myself, impressed by my own imagination.

Gradually, the notepad was absorbed into my brain,
and all day long,
I started imagining "green onions and..."
Thanks to that,
waiting times when I had nothing to do, and times when I didn't have my smartphone on hand, became very meaningful.
Everything can be dedicated to imagining green onion dishes!
It's fun all day long...!
And,
before I knew it, I was deep in the green onion swamp.

Green onion recipes are overflowing,
to the point where I wonder if I'm a genius.
The number has exceeded 30, and I've even started to worry that the green onions will run out before I can recreate them all.

A lifelong collection, #GreenOnionRecipes.
Even I am surprised by the potential of green onions.
Japanese, Western, Chinese. They work for everything.
A full course of green onions is no problem at all.
Young people at the cafe, you'll regret thinking they are just a garnish.

Green onion recipes

Green onion koji marinade with yuzu scent

First, starting with one where the only ingredient is green onion.

<How to make>
Thick, log-like green onions
Cook one side for 2 minutes in olive oil
Cover and let sit in residual heat for 5 minutes
They transform into sweet, tender green onions
Line them up in the marinade
A squeeze of yuzu does a great job

Barley miso tsukune enjoyed with green onions

Usually a hidden presence, now they've come out, proudly.
Even though it looks like an izakaya menu item, eat it with a fork and knife.
Don't eat just the tsukune first because it's a hassle.
The correct way is to have it combine with the sweet green onions in your mouth.

<How to make>
Set the egg yolk moon aside
Mix everything together
Make a vertical diagonal groove in the green onion and stuff it
Oven at 180°C for 25 minutes
Brown at 200°C for 5 minutes
Enjoy with yolk + soy sauce koji

*As someone raised on Shinshu miso,
I'm not fond of the barley miso that is abundant in the region I moved to,
but I like how it pairs with this dish.

Tender green onion and cod sake lees risotto with sea bream stock

I feel like the flavor really deepens when sake lees are added.
The contribution of the sea bream stock is also significant.
It's hard to believe there's no butter in it.
The rich flavor combined with the mild cod and tender green onions is the best.

<Instructions>
Marinate the cod in sake lees and malted rice beforehand
Transfer the garlic aroma to the oil
Coat the rice with oil over low heat
Add sake lees instead of wine
Cook for 15 minutes, adding stock one ladle at a time
I worry about the moisture halfway through,
but I resist, telling myself not to make porridge
Add the fish and cook for another 8 minutes
Add the tender green onions a little later
The moisture from the ingredients will keep it moist
Sprinkle with sake lees cheese and enjoy


I made it while being careful about the al dente texture,
and although I was satisfied that it went well,
wait... is this pilaf?
On top of that, my husband told me,
it tastes like I'm eating sesame seeds.
Well, it has brown rice in it.
Since it wasn't sautéed in butter, I suppose "risotto" is fine.

Green onion and firefly squid sake lees peperoncino

▷ Cut the squid and marinate it in the three fermented brothers
Sizzle the crushed garlic over low heat 🌶
After dissolving with a blender,
Squid -> Green onion, cook quickly over high heat
Add a ladle of pasta water
Toss the noodles with the pink-tinted sauce

The moment I ate it, I was moved, thinking the green onion is the star!
It was a tender and supple, feminine green onion.

Green onion and cottage cheese salted malted rice muffins

Since delicious coffee is being delivered,
on the way to buy something to go with it,
I remembered I had green onions and turned back.

That said, it was uncharted territory,
and since I didn't add any sweet elements,
I thought it would be fine to just drizzle honey on it, but then
..no need for it!

Perhaps it's the personality of the green onion and the magic of the salted malted rice🪄
What was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter
became my all-time top muffin.

<Instructions>
Sauté green onions in butter over low heat for 4 minutes
Coat with salted malted rice and let sit
Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes
Add cheese at the 10-minute mark.

A green onion dining table

From here on, the entire dining table is themed around "green onions"! Introducing Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes.

Green onion dining table ~Japanese~

Green onions can be enjoyed in various ways depending on how they are cut.

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[Green Onion Sea Bream Rice]

▶︎ 2 cups rice, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp mirin, remaining sea bream stock, 1/2 green onion (thinly sliced diagonally), bones
▷ To get every bit of flavor from the bones, I cooked them right in the rice cooker.
　It's a hearty, flavorful mixed rice dish.

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[Taro and Green Onion Ishiru Tempura]
▷ Marinate in ishiru (fish sauce) for a bit, then fry as tempura. Sprinkle with coarse salt—it's amazing.
　*Diagonal slices absorb too much oil. Round slices are the way to go.

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[Shredded Green Onion and Firefly Squid with Yuzu Vinegar]
　My top recommendation, highlighting the tenderness of the green onions!
　Cut into thick shreds and toss.

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[Minced Green Onion and Chili Koji Miso Soup]
▶︎ Dried sardine stock, barley miso, chili koji, tofu, last night's chicken meatballs
▷ Mince the green onions.

Green Onion Table ~Western Style~

Three different forms of green onions.
These are all 'set it and forget it' dishes, where the most effort is just cutting the onions.

[Green Onion and Cod Sake Lees Brie Cheese Gratin]

Sweet and tender green onions, I love pairing them with white ingredients ⚪️ #CookingByColor

Barley miso is the secret ingredient!

▶︎ 4 pieces cod (115g), 120cc soy milk, 12g sake lees, 10g barley miso, 10g salt koji, 10g rice flour

▷ Quickly reduce moisture over medium heat
　Pour over the sake lees sauce and bake at 200°C for 15 minutes

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[Green Onion and Spare Rib Vegetable Koji Pot-au-Feu]

A feast created by time and quality ingredients.
All I did was chop the green onions.
ㅤㅤㅤ
▶︎ 2 small carrots, 2 pork spare ribs, green onions, 30g vegetable koji, 500cc water
▷ Cover and simmer for 60 minutes

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[Chicken Sauté with Salted Lemon Green Onion Sauce]
▶︎ 1 chicken thigh, 2 slices salted lemon, 20g balsamic vinegar, diagonally sliced green onions

▷ Marinate the chicken in salt koji for half a day zzz..
　No oil needed, skin side down over medium heat for 2 minutes
　Flip, cover, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes
　Add the combined sauce 3 minutes before finishing.

Green Onion Table ~Chinese Style~

Green onions are so versatile. They handled Chinese night perfectly too. With the magic of spices and fermented seasonings 🪄

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[Shilin Night Market Style? Oyster and Green Onion Egg Drop with Ishiru]
▶︎ 2 eggs, 10 small oysters, 2/3 green onion, 1/2 tsp shio-koji, 1/2 tsp ishiru, five-spice powder

▷ Coat oysters with wiped-off moisture in a thin layer of potato starch
　Sauté quickly so you don't have to worry
　Since I want the green onions to stay crisp and fresh
　Sauté them briefly after that
　Add the egg mixture over medium-high heat
　Swirl it gently and add five-spice powder

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[Chili Koji and Sake Lees Green Onion Skewers]　
▶︎ 200g chicken tenderloin, 1 tsp chili koji, 1 tbsp sake lees, 1.5 tbsp amazake ▷ Score the green onions in logs
　Marinate and grill for 15 minutes top and bottom　

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[Ishiru and Wood Ear Mushroom Green Onion Soup]
▶︎ 500cc water, 5g kombu, 2g ishiru, 1 tsp shio-koji, 1/2 thin green onion
▷ Low heat for 10 minutes → add thinly sliced green onions only in the residual heat.
　Finish by drizzling with sesame oil.

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[Mala Shrimp and Green Onion]

Inspired by the chili-covered dishes found in Southeast Asia
and the peanuts you might find at KALDI.

▶︎ Green onion, 4 black tiger shrimp (peeled) 90g, 1 tsp sake lees, 1 tsp shio-koji, 3 cloves garlic, 3 chili peppers, 3 pinches Sichuan peppercorns, peanuts

▷ Coat shrimp with sake lees and spicy seasoning
　Sauté minced garlic in sesame oil to bring out the aroma
　Add the red ingredients all together
　Mix in the Sichuan peppercorns, which look like little bombs
　Drizzle with crushed peanuts and shio-koji
　Pour the piping hot mixture over the green onions
　that came out of the 15-minute grill and enjoy


It's not Japanese pepper, it has to be Sichuan peppercorn!
These magical little grains instantly elevate the Chinese flavor.

Green Onion Seasoning

Even green onions, which have good shelf life, have a peak time to be eaten, and they gradually lose their vitality.
Before that happens...!

Why not make a divine seasoning that extends their life by half a year, saves time, and eliminates hassle.

Since it would be too long, I'll just give a brief introduction here, but it's incredibly useful!

Conclusion

How was it? Has your perception of green onions as an ingredient changed?
There are still many more, but I'll stop here for now.

A winter spent drowning in the world of green onions—oh, it was so much fun.

#CookingIsFun

✳︎
By the way, the 20 green onions that started it all came from a friend who has been practicing eco-friendly farming in Bizen for over 100 years.
They were sweet, tender, and supple green onions.
With a vibrant luster that was enchanting just to look at,
they awakened me to the beauty of vegetables.