Our quick and easy Garlic Noodles recipe is one of my and my family’s absolute favorite recipes on the entire blog! It only requires a few ingredients, comes together in less than 20 minutes and is just so good! The fish sauce might not appeal to everyone, but I promise you guys it’s SO good and doesn’t make the noodles fishy at all. It gives the dish a really luscious umami flavor. This is my favorite brand. It has a really clean flavor and a tiny bit goes a long way!
Yes, you can prepare this dish up to 3 days in advance. When you’re ready to reheat it, set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to skillet. When the water starts to boil, add the noodles and combine until thoroughly heated. As the starchy noodles reheat, the small amount of water will aid in their separation from one another.
Quick Garlic Noodles Video:
The ingredient list on my quick garlic noodles is short. Ten simple ingredients.
Butter and Oil: You’ll want a combination of the two. The oil helps raise the temperature of the butter so that it doesn’t burn.
Fresh Garlic: we’ll saute the garlic in the butter so that the flavor infuses throughout this noodle recipe.
Scallions: We’ll saute these with the garlic to infuse the butter and you can certainly add more on top as a garnish if you’d like.
Fish Sauce: adds a ton of umami flavor to the noodles as well as salt. If you follow a vegan diet, I suggest making vegan fish sauce using the various recipes on the internet. If all else fails, you can add a splash of soy sauce instead.
Oyster sauce: adds a salty element to the noodles. For my vegan friends, you can use oyster mushroom sauce instead.
Granulated sugar: adds sweetness and helps balances the salty elements of the dish. Feel free to use brown sugar if you’d like.
Parmesan Cheese: Your eyes don’t deceive you! I did indeed right parmesan! So this ingredient works beautifully with the oyster sauce and the fish sauce to give this dish an umami flavor bomb! If you’re vegan you can use a vegan parm alternative, although I do expect that the flavor will be somewhat different.
Prepared noodles: You’ll want to use 8 ounces of dried noodles for this recipe and prepare them according to package instructions in a saucepan. For the noodles, I used Chuka soba noodles that my local grocery store carries. You can use just about any kind you like! Egg noodles, Hong Kong-style noodles, or even spaghetti or angel hair pasta will do. This is a fusion recipe; there’s no wrong answer here!
Fried Garlic: It can be a tricky ingredient to find in a regular grocery store, so you can certainly omit it from the recipe or make your own! But know that the fried garlic bits on top are what truly make this recipe irresistible. If you’ve got easy access to an Asian supermarket, you can find this easily! Just know that a lot of the brands fry their garlic in palm oil. If you also feel strongly about avoiding palm oil, I suggest checking the ingredient list before you buy. I was lucky enough to find a brand that didn’t, locally. But here’s a brand that fries them in soybean oil in case you’re interested.
How to make the best garlic noodles on the planet:
Boil the noodles: Set a large pot of water to boil. When the pasta water reaches a boil, cook them according to the package directions. As the pasta cooks, you can start the infusion of the butter. Drain the pasta and set it aside until you’re ready to toss it.
Infuse the butter. The key to making good garlic noodles is to make sure you do this step right. Which is allowing the minced garlic and scallions to really infuse all of their flavors into the oil and butter. Start with a cold large skillet, add the butter, oil, garlic, and scallions and slowly let the pan heat up. This will take you about 5-7 minutes, but trust me, this is the part you don’t want to rush. The total time is still in the ballpark of under 30 minutes, and I promise it’s worth the wait!
Make garlic noodles. While the garlic is simmering, combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. Once the garlic is done, you’ll want to kick it up to medium-high heat and add the sauces. Give it 30 seconds to simmer and then add the cooked noodles and toss it all in the sauce. Taste and adjust with more fish sauce as you’d like. If you’re just starting off, I suggest doing a tablespoon of each of the fish sauce and the oyster sauce. You can always add more but you can’t take it away! Top with fried garlic right before serving. And don’t anticipate any leftovers!
FAQ
How do you use fish sauce?
How to use fish sauce
Marinades. Because it is umami and salty, fish sauce is a fantastic marinade.
Stir-fry Sauce. Fish sauce is great in stir-fried dishes. …
Soups, Stews and Curries. For soups, stews, and curries, fish sauce is a fantastic dipping sauce.
Salad Dressings. …
Pasta Sauce. …
Savory Bloody Mary. …
Burgers or meat loaf. …
Mashed Potato.
What is fish sauce mainly used for?
Numerous well-known dishes, like pad thai, use the salty, savory ingredient to add umami, but it can also be used to marinate meats, dress vegetables, or intensify the flavor of soups and stews. Even salad dressings and homemade condiments can use it as a base.
What do Chinese use fish sauce for?
Many Asian recipes call for fish sauce, a thin, salty liquid, in place of salt as a seasoning. Despite being mostly associated with Vietnamese and Thai food, it is also employed in some southern Chinese regions and sporadically in Cantonese cooking. It is made from salted fish and is high in protein and vitamin B.
How do you use fish sauce in soup?
Use fish sauce in marinades for beef, chicken, and pork as well as in stews, sauces, dipping sauces, and soups. In many cases, fish sauce can completely replace any salt added to a recipe, but as you become more familiar with fish sauce, you’ll be the best judge. Add at the same time you would the first sprinkle of salt.
