The hollow green leaves (greens) are chopped and added just before serving to soups and stews. Both the leaves and white stems are eaten raw with papaya salad and lahp. Spring onions are also deep-fried for a tasty garnish. To make it, finely slice the white part of the spring onion and pat dry with a paper towel or let dry for half an hour, and then deep-fry in 1 cup oil. Drain until cool. Use immediately or store in an airtight jar.
Small bunching onions are also referred to as pak bua bai. They are more common in some parts of Laos than spring onions and are used interchangeably. Many rural homes have small raised gardens in which onion greens and other herbs are grown. Indeed, these waist-high beds, usually about 1 x 2 metres and often on bamboo legs, are a fixture of the Lao countryside.