What you need to make these soy noodles
The sauce for these noodles is based around soy sauce. However, the truth is that a good noodle sauce cannot be made solely with soy; soy-based sauces are flavorless and one-dimensional. Instead, to give this dish more depth and personality, we’re also utilizing a few common Asian sauces. These ready-to-use sauces reduce the number of ingredients while maintaining a high level of flavor!
Here’s what you need:
You can’t just use soy sauce! It’s too bland!
- The main flavor of this sauce is soy sauce; I’ve used both dark and light soy sauce in this recipe. When combined, they produce the flavor and color I’m going for. As you can see in the picture below, dark soy sauce gives the noodles a gorgeous mahogany color and has a stronger flavor. To prevent the sauce from becoming overly dark, the light soy sauce adds more flavor without adding too much color. Check out the recipe notes for information on substituting these and additional soy sauce options!
- One of the key ingredients in this recipe is oyster sauce, which has a thick, pungent consistency and tastes sweet and salty. When it comes to giving any dish a few dashes of oyster sauce unparalleled complexity, flavor, and umami all at once, it truly outperforms its weight. This deeply flavorful sauce, which is a mainstay in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine, is made with oyster extract. But it tastes nothing at all fishy or oyster-y (is that even a word?). See recipe notes for substitutes.
- The other secret component that gives this dish its flavor and complexity is mirin, a sweet Japanese cooking wine. Chinese cooking wine is typically used in Chinese recipes, with a small amount of sugar added as needed. However, I’m cutting corners today and using mirin, which contains sugar already. Use more oyster sauce as a non-alcoholic alternative, requiring one fewer ingredient.
- Sesame oil: toasted (brown in color) as opposed to untoasted (yellow in color and milder in flavor) Here in Australia, toasted sesame oil is the norm. It’s actually hard to find un-toasted. Keep in mind that sesame oil loses flavor the longer it cooks, so it is added to the sauce rather than used as frying fat.
- Green onion – Serving dual functions here. First, to flavor the oil when we sauté the white part with garlic, it serves as an aromatic flavor base. Afterwards, the green portions are utilized to give the noodles a burst of color and texture.
- Garlic: Aside from a couple of cake recipes, it’s difficult to find a recipe on this website that doesn’t call for garlic. ).
- Use any kind of noodles you choose, whether they are thick or thin, dried or fresh, white or yellow. I used fresh white noodles, which I usually prefer to dried noodles, straight out of my grocery store’s refrigerator section. It’s chewier and tastes better, which is how I like it. That being said, dried noodles will also function perfectly in this recipe. Or even spaghetti. Yes, I did just say that. Although it may sound incorrect, dried spaghetti and many dried noodles are really just flour and water. So you really can’t tell the difference once it’s combined with the sauce!
Supreme Soy Noodles – the Asian noodles for everything!
Supreme Soy Noodles are THE Asian noodles to serve with everything and anything Asian, and they’re so easy and quick to make—my first new recipe in six months! Although there aren’t many add-ins, they are quick to prepare and flavorful enough to eat on their own. Yet they’re also neutral enough to partner with any mains. Asian main courses include Korean pulled pork, Chinese BBQ pork, sticky Asian wings, and chicken or beef satay skewers.
However, who am I to judge? If you even want them with your Sunday roast chicken, then go ahead!
If you’re wondering why I gave such a basic dish the rather grandiose name “Supreme Soy Noodles,” the truth is that I did it partially in jest to make myself laugh. (I am easily amused). I adore the imaginative, extravagant names Chinese eateries frequently give their food. So this is mine, which I will stick to because it was inspired by this dish. Because, despite its simplicity, it has teeth! Let me know if you give it a try and agree!
What to serve with these Asian noodles
Initially, I made these noodles to complete a meal that included Chinese dumplings (potstickers) and a side of steamed Asian greens with oyster sauce. I also started the meal with Chinese corn soup (I didn’t add the chicken to the soup).
However, as I’ve already overstated ( ), the appeal of these Asian noodles is their versatility. They are sufficiently simple to be served as a carby filler with any fully-flavored Asian main dish, such as Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu). However, they also have a flavor that makes them suitable for a quick and easy meal when eaten alone. Here are some ideas for other mains to serve with these noodles—and boy, have I devoured many bowls of them!
