Vietnamese Scallion Oil (Mo Hanh)

A simple yet delicious Vietnamese garnish of oil and scallions to give the finishing touch to many Vietnamese dishes. Brush them on grilled meats, seafood, vegetables, rice noodles, and many more

What is Mở Hành

Mở is oil and Hành is green onions or scallions in Vietnamese. Therefore, Mở Hành is oil scallion. Flip the words around to make sense in English, scallion oil.

Mở Hành is a Vietnamese garnish that gets brushed over finished dishes to provide a beautiful vibrant green color, a glistening sheen, and an amazing oniony aroma.

Scallions vs Green Onions vs Spring Onions

You probably have wondered what’s the difference between scallions, green onions, and spring onions. The answer is there is no difference between scallions and green onions. They are different words for the same thing.

Spring onions, on the other hand, are slightly different. Spring onions have large bulbs that resemble mini spherical white onions at the root end. For mở hành, I wouldn’t recommend using spring onions, as there will be too much white part that will overtake the beautiful green color. However, you can simply cut off the white bulbs and save them for another dish. Use the remaining tops for scallion oil.

Where to Get Scallions/Green Onions

Try your local Asian market for the best possible price on scallions, as they are highly used in Asian cuisine. American high-end stores like Nugget or Whole Foods should always be avoided. No Asians shop there for a reason.

Prep the Scallions/Green Onions

To make Mở Hành, prep the scallions by trimming off the root ends. You can plant the root ends directly in the garden and water them generously so that they regenerate. You can also place the root ends in a shallow water dish on the kitchen counter. This works well when you just need a few thin slices of scallions to garnish a dish.

Once you cut off the root ends, wash the scallions and pat dry them with paper towels so there’s no excess moisture. When moisture hits hot oil, it will create splatters. And hot oil splatters hurt like a mother.

Once the scallions are washed and dried, slice them thinly. I like to use both the white and green part of the scallions. The green part obviously provides a beautiful green color, but the white part provides the most sweetness once it’s toasted in oil. You can slice the scallions at an angle (also known as a bias), for a more beautiful presentation.

Oil

You want to use a cheap neutral oil for mỡ hành so the scallion aroma and flavor can stand out. I like to use either vegetable or canola oil. Stay away from expensive oil such as high-grade olive oil because it would be a waste of money as the expensive taste and aroma will be masked by scallions.

Seasoning

I season my scallion oil with a bit of salt and sugar. It just tastes so much better than without.

Storage

You can make mỡ hành in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure all the green onions are covered or submerged in oil and they will keep well for a while. I like to make enough that will be used up within a week or better yet, make it fresh each time since they are so simple to make. Freshly made scallion oil will be far better in taste and texture than ones left in the fridge.

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