Skip the Takeout: Make Restaurant-Quality Chinese Noodles in Just 15 Minutes

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Sarah Leung of The Woks of Life shares a super-easy noodle dish that’s both spicy and satisfying.

Photo: Sarah Leung 

These 15-minute Chinese hot oil noodles are beyond easy to make. Here’s the basic gist: You boil some noodles and veggies in the same pot, throw them in a bowl with some seasonings, pour a couple tablespoons of hot oil over everything, and mix. DONE. How’s that for an easy Chinese noodles recipe?

It’s deceptive, how easy it is. You wouldn’t think that such a simple dish could be so amazing, but with good ingredients (your favorite chewy noodle, for instance — we used this flat Xi’an-style noodle), it’s going to win you over big time.

This dish gets its intense flavor from two cloves of raw garlic. Now that may seem really strong. And it is. But in northern China, raw garlic is used extremely often, and I’ve grown to love it. The hot oil poured over the top of the dish mellows the garlic out a bit, but you still get that spicy hum throughout the dish. If you’re not in love with garlic like I am, you can reduce the amount you put in.

But that would make me sad.

15-Minute Hot Oil Noodles (You Po Mian)
Serves 1

4 ounce dried wheat noodles
Handful of leafy greens (choy sum, spinach, or baby bok choy)
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt, to taste
Chopped scallion
Chopped cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
2 ½ tablespoons oil

Boil the noodles according to package directions until al dente. In the same pot, blanch the leafy greens until cooked through. Drain.

Add the cooked noodles and greens to a heatproof bowl, along with the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, scallion, cilantro, and minced garlic.

In a small pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Carefully pour the hot oil over the bowl of noodles, and mix everything together. Serve!

More tempting noodle dishes:

Marcus Samuelsson’s Peanut Noodle Recipe

Curried Shrimp and Noodles Recipe From Pêche in New Orleans

Indian Stir-Fried Noodle Recipe From ‘Indian Simmer’

What’s your go-to easy noodle dish? Tell us below!