Identity — what it is
Scallions — also sold as green onions or spring onions, called hành lá in Vietnam — are young alliums harvested with their hollow green tops and small white bases intact. The whole plant is edible and the two ends do different jobs: the white base is sharper and takes well to cooking, while the green tops are mild and fresh, made for finishing.
Taste — flavor profile
Scallions taste like onion turned down to a friendly volume: gently pungent, a little sweet, with a clean green freshness. The white parts carry most of the bite and mellow beautifully in hot oil; the greens stay bright and grassy, adding color and a mild onion lift without ever overwhelming. Raw, they are crisp and lively; cooked, they melt into savory sweetness.
In the Kitchen — how it’s used in pan-Asian cooking
No garnish appears more often across pan-Asian cooking than sliced scallion greens. They shower over wonton soup and hot and sour soup at the last second, where the hot broth softens them just enough. The white bases go into the wok early with ginger and garlic as an aromatic foundation, and pounded with ginger and hot oil they become ginger-scallion sauce — the classic Cantonese condiment for poached chicken and noodles.
Buying — how to choose at the store
Pick bunches with crisp, bright-green tops and firm white bases, with the roots still attached if possible. Skip any with slimy outer layers, yellowing tops, or a strong sour smell. Thinner scallions tend to be milder and more tender; thicker ones have more bite and hold up better in cooking. They are inexpensive and widely available year-round, so there is no reason to settle for tired bunches.
Storage
Wrap unwashed scallions loosely in a damp paper towel, slip them into a bag, and refrigerate — they keep for a week or more. For longer life, stand them upright in a jar with an inch of water in the fridge, like herbs. And the classic trick works: save the white root ends, stand them in a glass of water on a sunny sill, and they will regrow green tops you can snip for weeks.
Substitutes — 2-3 substitutes with brief context each
- Chives — the closest swap for raw garnish: mild, grassy, and delicate. They lack the white base’s cooking bite, so use them only for finishing.
- Leek greens — the tender inner green tops, thinly sliced, approximate scallion greens in soups and garnishes; milder and a little tougher.
- Thinly sliced red onion — a different flavor, sharper and sweeter, but it supplies the allium crunch in salads and cold dishes when scallions are missing. Soak slices in cold water for ten minutes to tame the bite.