Tempered Spring Onions

Spring onions are very similar to leeks, but I prefer spring onions over leeks. I always use spring onions when I am making fried rice. It is mainly because of the freshness it brings to that rice and the taste it gives. Not only that but have you ever tried tempered spring onions? it tastes heavenly. The best part is it won't take more than 15 minutes to make this dish and this goes really well with most Sri Lankan curry dishes.

So what is the main difference between Scallions and Green Onions?

To be honest, it is literally the same thing. The main difference is they are either harvest very young or some variations do not produce the actual bulb. The Scallions are really long and have a white stem, and the root won’t bulge out. And also they have that onion flavor but they are not strong as onions. Also, these can be used cooked or even raw and it is mostly used by Asian cooks and sometimes they get rid of the darker green bits at the end of the tree. Not only that, scallions are usually available year-round and when you are harvesting them, look for that bright green color, healthy leaves and firm stem ends.

Then what are Spring Onions?

So it is similar to scallions but you will notice small onions at the end of the base. These onions come from the variety that produces these onions and it is somewhat matured scallions. Do you know how they got the name “spring”? They got it because they plant these by late fall and harvest in the next spring.

Furthermore, spring onions are sweeter and soft than regular onions but when it comes to greens, it has more flavor than scallions. They have different varieties such as red and white, but they taste almost the same and it tastes best when grilled, roasted, or sometimes even raw with some rice dishes.

So why do we get confused?

This confusion is mainly because in most countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom everything is called spring onions and they don’t use the term green onions. Also, it has a similar look, right? I think that would be the reason for this confusion.

Moreover...

The spring onions we have here is somewhat different from the spring onion that we have in Sri Lanka. I wanted to show you this because it is best to add this version of spring onions when you are making fried rice. Here we call it Scallions/ Green Onion. But if you guys are looking to make it as a curry or just to temper it, take the bigger version of this which is called Spring Onions.

Also, I should note that, no matter what you are going to do, whether it is fried rice or just a tempered dish, make sure to use this as soon as possible because the freshness of spring onions fades away really quickly. So I highly suggest you guys cook it within 2-3 days after buying.

The other thing to keep in mind is to clean it well. This is because you may find, dirt, insects and even pesticides or weedicides because the bottom part of spring onion is buried under the soil. So, make sure to wash these well with warm water before prepping them.

Plan your Meals with Tempered Spring Onion