20 recipes that use spring onions, with photos, step-by-step instructions and cook times. The quickest, Oriental dipping sauce, takes 8 minutes. It is most often cooked with garlic, lemon juice and sugar.
Run out of spring onions? Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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Warm new potatoes boiled in their skins and tossed in one of three dressings: creamy parsley sour cream, a tangy basil vinaigrette, or a fresh 'greeny' dressing of cottage cheese and herbs. Each dressing is enough for 500 g of potatoes, so make one, or make all three for a party. Serve the salad chilled on a bed of lettuce with a spoonful of single cream on top.
The best fried rice starts with cold, day-old rice, so the grains stay separate and toast in the wok instead of turning mushy. A great way to use up leftover rice and odds and ends of vegetables.
A colourful, hearty salad of red kidney beans, butter beans, soya beans and sweet corn on a bed of baby spinach, topped with crumbled feta and a sweet, garlicky lemon and honey dressing. It is filling enough for a light lunch and perfect for parties and picnics. Serve it cold with crusty bread, and chill the platter beforehand so the salad stays crisp.
A crunchy, creamy coleslaw with shredded cabbage, carrots, apple, peppers and onion, made rich with eggless mayonnaise and chopped cashews. It is a favourite side with pizza, burgers and barbecues. Keep the vegetables chilled and add the mayonnaise just before serving so it stays crisp.
Sliced tomatoes, creamy avocado and spring onions in a honey, mustard and red wine vinegar dressing, with tortilla chips stirred in at the end for crunch. It is a quick, Mexican-style side for parties and barbecues. Add the chips just before serving and eat it straight away, before they soften.
A crunchy salad of golden fried almonds, roasted pumpkin seeds, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, celery and apple, with plenty of spring onion and coriander. The dressing is simply lemon juice, sugar and salt, so the fresh flavours shine. Serve it cold with crusty bread.
Crisp-tender snow peas, baby carrots and baby corn are boiled briefly, then mixed with quickly stir-fried courgettes, peppers and spring onions. Everything is tossed in a zingy dressing of chives, parsley, coriander, lemon and plenty of garlic. It is a warm salad that makes a light meal on its own.
A cool, smooth dip of fresh yogurt blended with spring onions, cucumber, green chilli, garlic and roasted cumin. It's light and refreshing, and is just right with barbecued paneer, vegetable skewers and corn. Serve it well chilled.
All the flavours of a Greek salad in a chunky dip: crumbled feta, chopped olives, tomato and spring onions, bound with garlicky olive oil and lemon. Serve it chilled with salted crackers, pitta bread or crisp vegetables.
The owner's version of hummus: boiled chickpeas blended with roasted sesame seeds and roasted peanuts instead of tahini, plus garlic, chilli, lemon and olive oil, and topped with spring onions. It's smooth, nutty and a little spicy. Serve it chilled with pitta bread or vegetable sticks.
A rich, creamy cheese dip of grated mozzarella processed with cream and eggless mayonnaise, then mixed with spring onions, garlic, white wine and hot chilli sauce. Serve it cold with slices of tomato, cucumber or bread.
A chunky Mediterranean salsa of chopped black olives, tomato, pepper and spring onions with chives, basil, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Serve it cold or at room temperature with corn chips or toasted bread.
A sweet and salty dipping sauce of soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and spring onions. Leaving it in the fridge for an hour or two lets the flavours blend. Serve it warm with spring rolls, dumplings and momos.
A clear, gingery broth with mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and fine rice noodles, seasoned with soy sauce and a little cider vinegar. It's light and quick, and good when you want something warming but not heavy. Serve it in warmed bowls.
A light, sweet-and-sour soup made from ash gourd (kadu) stock, thickened with cornflour and seasoned with tomato and chilli sauces, vinegar and black pepper. Lightly fried carrot, cauliflower and spring onion go on top for crunch. Serve it with hot buns. Bottle gourd works just as well as ash gourd.
Crisp slices of ciabatta or French bread topped with fresh tomato, spring onion and herbs, then grilled under cheddar until it bubbles. They're quick to make and ideal as a starter or a party snack. Serve hot.
Crisp samosa-pastry cones stuffed with paneer, spring onion, coconut, aniseed and green chilli, dipped in batter and rolled in sesame breadcrumbs before frying. They look impressive on a party platter. Serve with red, green and tamarind chutneys.
Crisp chips tossed with stir-fried peppers, spring onions and chillies in a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce. A pinch of pink colour gives it the classic restaurant look, and pineapple juice makes it fruitier. Serve hot, as soon as the chips are coated.
Cauliflower, carrots, okra, capsicum and French beans dusted in cornflour and fried crisp, then tossed in a hot masala of onion, spring onion, green and red chilli and garlic. A crunchy, fiery restaurant-style starter. Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce and hot chilli sauce.
Golden fried cashews tossed in a hot wok with spring onions and red and green chillies. Ready in five minutes and gone just as fast. Serve hot.
