The general order for adding auxiliary ingredients is: ginger first, followed by scallions and garlic, then chili peppers, then dry spices （star anise/Sichuan peppercorns/ma 花椒）, and finally dried chili peppers. For each step, you can remove unnecessary ingredients from the sequence depending on the dish being prepared.
Ginger has the highest water content, meaning it requires more time to sauté and release its juices.
If you are using scallion segments (it is best to lightly crush them with the flat side of a cleaver), I recommend adding the scallion segments first, followed by minced garlic. If you are using chopped scallions, you can add both ingredients to the pan simultaneously. Note: The juices in scallion segments are harder to extract during sautéing.
If you are stir-frying, I recommend adding the dry spices before the ginger. This infuses the oil with flavor, resulting in a more aromatic dish. The reason this isn't done for braised or stewed dishes is that you may need to stir-fry many auxiliary ingredients for a longer time, which could cause the dry spices to turn black and bitter.
Dried chili peppers are added last because they easily turn black due to the pan's temperature. They only need to be stir-fried for a few seconds.
Note: Regardless of the cuisine you are preparing, sautéing these auxiliary ingredients over low heat until golden will enhance the overall aroma of the dish, a depth of flavor that seasonings alone cannot provide.
Timing and Control of Salt Addition
For quick stir-fries, add salt first. Salt amount = Total weight of ingredients x 0.9%;
For meat dishes, add salt when the meat is about 80% cooked. Salt amount = (Total weight of ingredients + 30mL of liquid) x (1% to 1.2%);
For soup dishes, add salt at the very end. Salt amount = Initial volume of water x 0.8%.
It is not recommended to exceed 5g of total salt intake per day. Reference WHO