How Would You Julienne Scallions?

If you receive Sara Kate's weekly Kitchn Email (quick, sign up here!) then today you're in for a treat. She's sharing the Korean grilled ribs we had a couple nights ago at an Apartment Therapy editors' retreat. They were delicious and totally addictive. But the side dish we prepared to go with them was nearly as good: a simple salad with lettuce, Asian pear, and julienned scallions.

I sliced up all the scallions, and I have to admit that I had never julienned this particular vegetable. Here's how I did it, but I also want to know: how would you julienne these thin little onions?

To julienne a vegetable or fruit is to cut it into long, thin strips like matchsticks. This is more commonly done for hard vegetables like carrots, celery, and potatoes. I had never done it on the long, tender scallions.

I used a basic but time-intensive method of simply cutting each scallion into thirds then slicing it carefully into small slivers. This is a great shape for scallions, we discovered; you can wrap the scallion strips around the meat, if you want, and it gives them a more delicate texture and taste than the usual little chopped rounds.

But how would you do this? Would you use a mandoline or perhaps a negi cutter?

(Images: Faith Durand)

Comments (5)

This is the only way I cut up green onions. If you slice across the onion, the little rounds will fall off your fork.

P.S. Have you ever written a column on scallions, green onions, and spring onions. What you call scallions, I call green onions. I believe the maturity of the onion has something to do with the designation----that once the onion begins to show a bulb shape, then it's a different name. But I don't know which is which.

This may also be a regional thing.

posted by SunnyBlue on May 21st 2009 at 12:03pm
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It wouldn't help with wrapping, but for salads I cut them on a really steep diagonal. Pretty fast, good texture.

I would be terrified to cut a scallion on a mandolin! I need a lot more vegetable between my fingers and the blade.

posted by jm chen on May 21st 2009 at 1:54pm
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Generally, I face the bulbs farthest from me in a bunch (after lopping the roots off, of course) and, keeping a firm hold on the white parts, I drag my knife with my other hand in a stiff diagonal across the greens.

When you're down to the whites...they're easier to chop because they're firmer. It's kind of like spearing lettuce leaves.

posted by bfootnovellista on May 21st 2009 at 4:43pm
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Gourmet.com has a new video on how to shred scallions, Korean-style. About half way through.

posted by Dana V on May 21st 2009 at 11:39pm
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To julienne them, I slice them on a very extreme angle as thinly as I can. You get long deep rounds rather than little squat rounds.

posted by mntwmyn on May 22nd 2009 at 9:10am
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