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Ginger soy

Name: Ginger soy
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients: Fresh ginger a thumb-sized piece; Light soy sauce 2 tbsp (30 ml); Spring onion / scallion 1 stalk

薑蓉豉油

TossedSauces and jarsWeekendFor guestsReunion dinnerEasyhands-on 3 min · start to finish 3 min

“Mix your own saucer. It is only right when it suits you.”

Ingredientsserves 1

街市Fresh ginger· peeled and finely grated, about 1 tspa thumb-sized piece

雜貨舖Light soy sauce2 tbsp (30 ml)

街市Spring onion / scallion· chopped1 stalk

Method

Peel the ginger and grate it fine, about a teaspoon; young ginger has less fibre and grates finer.
Put the ginger in your own saucer, pour in two tablespoons of light soy and add the spring onion; a drop or two of sesame oil if you like it rounder.
This is the seafood saucer: prawns, clams, crab and fish slices, where the ginger takes away any fishiness.
If the ginger is too fierce, add more soy or squeeze a little of the juice out of the ginger first; for something fresher, a few drops of lemon.
Grate the ginger on the night and use it that night; whatever is left in the saucer is thrown away. Chopsticks that have held raw seafood never touch a saucer.

Take care

Contains soy and wheat (light soy).
Ginger and soy do not make undercooked seafood safe: prawns are done when the shell is red and the flesh white and opaque, and clams when they open; throw away any that stay shut.

The story

Ginger soy is the saucer for seafood. Hong Kong people eating prawns, clams and fish slices feel it needs ginger to take the fishiness away, and a dish of light soy with a spoonful of grated ginger is all it is.

Same kind

Garlic soy

Chilli soy

Sha cha and soy

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.