Description
These Garlic Chili Oil Noodles are a quick and flavorful dish that combines fragrant garlic with spicy chili oil for an umami-packed experience. Perfect for a weeknight meal, they are easily adaptable to include your favorite proteins and vegetables.
Ingredients
Scale
- Fresh ramen noodles or udon (or dried spaghetti or linguine)
- 6–8 cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced or grated
- Coarse red chili flakes (Korean gochugaru or Sichuan chili flakes recommended)
- Neutral oil (canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or refined avocado oil)
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce (optional)
- Chinkiang black vinegar (or rice vinegar as an alternative)
- Sugar (just a pinch)
- Freshly chopped green onions (for garnish)
- Toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)
- Sesame oil (optional, for drizzling)
- Thinly sliced cooked beef (optional, for protein)
- Pan-fried tofu cubes (optional, for protein)
- Fried egg (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Finely mince or grate all your garlic. Chop your green onions, separating the white and light green parts for the chili oil base from the darker green parts for garnish. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the minced garlic, your chosen chili flakes, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and the white/light green parts of your chopped green onions.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add your chosen noodles and cook according to package directions until they are al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1/4 cup of the starchy noodle cooking water; drain the noodles thoroughly and set aside.
- Pour your neutral oil into a small saucepan or a heatproof ladle. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it's shimmering and just barely starting to smoke, about 3-5 minutes.
- Carefully pour the hot oil over the mixture of garlic, chili flakes, green onions, salt, and sugar in your heatproof bowl. Stir immediately to ensure everything is evenly coated and infused.
- To the freshly made chili oil mixture, add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce (if using), and vinegar. Stir everything together until well combined.
- Add the drained, cooked noodles directly into the bowl with the garlic chili oil sauce. Using tongs, toss the noodles thoroughly until every strand is beautifully coated. If the sauce seems a bit too thick, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved noodle cooking water until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Divide the noodles among serving bowls. Garnish generously with the remaining dark green parts of your chopped green onions and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. If you’re adding cooked beef or a fried egg, place them on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Control the heat by adjusting the amount of chili flakes. Fresh garlic is essential for the best flavor, and feel free to add protein or vegetables to customize your dish.