on Sep 21, 2020, Updated Oct 05, 2021 We LOVE chinese food. And we looove those typical chilli and garlic packed spicy noodles at Chinese restaurants. We made Pineapple Fried Rice last time and it was such a smash hit at home AND with our readers. Today we’ve made another staple Chinese dish which checks all the necessary boxes to make it to our favourite food list! Did you know? Apparently eating food together builds and strengthens relationships! And I’ve decided that chilli garlic noodles is legit the best food for a chill hang-out sesh with my peeps. The whole playfulness involved in slurping up noodle strands without breaking them and fighting over the last few servings is such fun, you know what I mean? Power of food, yo! Here’s how to whip up the simplest hot garlic noodles for your next hang out sesh.
The Chilli Garlic Paste
This is the base of the dish, this is where the very soul of this dish lies…. Over-dramatic? So this paste is what gives the noodles the heat from the red chillies and the garlicky kick that it needs. Spicy noods? Yes pls!!! Soaking the chillies and the garlic in hot water for about ten minutes helps them become soft, which makes it easy to grind them into a fine paste. Also, make sure the wok is super hot when adding this paste because the chillies and garlic need to cook through and lose that raw flavour.
The 5 Key Ingredients
The Chilli Garlic paste does almost everything…well almost! My trusty 5 ingredients that go in almost all my Chinese dishes never fail to deliver. These basic pantry staples will give the noodles that distinct Chinese flavour:
Finely chopped gingerSoy Sauce for saltiness and umami,Vinegar for acidityWhite pepper for heat,Sugar to balance out the other flavours
Note: If you would like to take it one step further, adding fish sauce gives an extra layer of umami. But beware, because too much fish sauce will overpower all other flavours and ruin the dish.
Cooking the noodles
The noodles (available at any supermarket) are easy to make and will maintain social distancing without clumping up together if we add a little oil to the boiling water. Also, make sure to salt the water well while cooking the noodles. I always like to cook the noodles for a minute less than what’s given on the packet – they turn out just right and al dente. It’s also important to immediately drain the cooked noodles and wash them with cold water and toss them with a little oil. All of this will make your noodles not get clumpy or overcook. There’s a whole host of add ons that can make the chilli garlic noodles interesting for all parties with a vested interest (read: people who stand next to the stove, ready with a fork to dig in). We’ve made a vegetarian version with onions, spring onions, capsicum, carrots, beans and mushrooms. To tweak this recipe to your preferences, you could add:
Shredded cabbage,Broccoli,Eggs (scrambled at the end)Protein like chicken, prawns, etc.
Serve this dish with an easy-to-make Chilli Chicken or Soya Manchurian and some soda or a beer!
More Chinese food FTW!
Chinese Chicken SaladChinese Cashew Noodles Stir-fryOne Pan Noodle and Manchurian Stir-fryBurnt Garlic Mushroom Fried RiceChinese Hot and Sour Soup with Ramen
Watch Chilli Garlic Noodles Recipe Video
