Chilli Crisp Noodles

Chilli Crisp Noodles

from recipetineats.com
7 min
7 minutes mins

Recipe video. Ridiculously good and ridiculously fast, here by popular demand after a sneak peek on Instagram! Chili crisp oil is the star ingredient here, adds spiciness, awesome crunch, savouriness, and a touch of sweet. Widely available these days - see Note 6.Tastes like Spicy Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles - but much faster to make. LOTS OF SUB OPTIONS because chili crisp carries so much of the flavour weight here!

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (Note 1 subs)
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 2)
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar (Note 3)
  • 1 tsp white sugar (or other sugar, or honey, maple)
  • 2 tsp sesame oil, toasted (Note 4)
  • 1/8 tsp+ cooking / kosher salt (Note 5)
  • 2 heaped tbsp chilli crisp (get oil + chili bits), Laoganma’s Spicy Chili Oil is my store-bought go-to, my personal favourite is Mrs C's Apprentice (Australia)(Note 6)
  • 1 tbsp ginger, finely minced*
  • 1 tbsp garlic, finely minced*
  • 1 green onion stem, finely sliced (or 1/4 red onion finely sliced)
  • 1/3 cup coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped*
  • 140g/ 5oz (2 cakes) instant noodles / ramen noodles
  • 250g/8oz fresh noodles (like hokkien, lo mein)

Directions

  1. 1

  2. 2

    CHECK the spiciness of your chilli crisp – taste it!! Laoganma is not actually that spicy (most store bought brands I've used are similar) and the quantity used is based on that brand. If yours is very spicy, start with less and add more later.

  3. 3

    Base sauce – Mix the sesame oil, vinegar, soy, sugar, salt and sesame paste in a bowl. Top with green onion (don’t mix in).

  4. 4

    Sizzling chili crisp – Heat chilli crisp and oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, stir 30 seconds until golden and it smells amazing. Pour over green onion – enjoy the sizzle! Then mix.

  5. 5

    Toss – Cook noodles per packet directions. Drag the noodles straight from the saucepan into the bowl (extra water loosens the sauce). Toss. Use cooking water to loosen more if needed. Toss through coriander/cilantro.

  6. 6

    Adjust & finish – Taste. Add more salt if needed and more chilli crisp if desired (not all chilli crisp is the same saltiness / spiciness). Eat!