We’re going to do this short and sweet tonight, because I’m at the halftime of two cranberry tarts, one apple pie and one pumpkin cheesecake. Yes, I have gone mad. But this is no time to discuss the obvious. I actually have sugar melting on the stove.
[Pause!]
Okay, it’s not ready yet. Wow, that takes a while. I am sure the last thing you want to see tonight is Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s chile-garlic eggs noodles, but alas, that is what we made for dinner on Monday night after I saw it on Serious Eats and could not resist the recipe’s tractor beam.
[Pause!]
Getting there, but not yet. I probably should have seen this coming (hello, Jean-friggin-Georges!) but the recipe was pretty fussy. First I had to roast a pepper and a chile, technically no real labor, but still–an extra step. Then there was the garlic-shallot oil. All of those gorgeous allium ingredients? Yeah, they get strained out, only flavoring the oil. That’s a lot of oil, too, more than we’d ever knowingly use in a noodle dish, even though it was delicious.
[Very, very long pause!]
Okay, we are now at the three-quarters mark, thank goodness. Back to the noodles: Because I have been on an udon kick lately, we broiled two small boneless pork chops smothered with Thai garlic chili paste (not nearly as hot as it sounds) and sliced them thinly aside our noodles. The dish was tasty and certainly different from what we’ve made before. However, I can tell already that we won’t be making it again. I suspect there are other chili-garlic noodle recipes out there that require much less labor, and if you know of one, do send it my way.
And also a new dishwasher, because mine needs a nap.
I hope you all have a restful Thanksgiving, and that your kitchens smell as warm and cozy as ours does right now.
[Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Chile-Garlic Egg Noodle Recipe on SeriousEats.com]
Deb- Jaden over at Steamy Kitchen has some really nice recipes for Asian noodles. The Garlic Scallion Noodles are really simple and you can add in whatever you want. I have made them with shrimp, chicken and tofu before. I have also added in different vegetables and seasonings. They take hardly any time at all.
This sound so simply and delicious.
I’ll definitely give it a try!
Thanks!
Sanja
Noodles with scallion and garlic are a mainstay in our house. We add in whatever is left over from other meals, and it’s always delicious.
Ummmm… Looking at the recipe, I would say that the oil is supposed to be drained off and the shallot mixture transfered to the rest of the ingredients. You could store and use the oil for other dishes.
you are the best! i really love your writing. and the photos! eeeek! i’m actually procrastinating getting ready for work to read this.
Tres Amie beat me to it. I think that you are supposed to keep the shallot/garlic mixture, not the oil. But if you saw it being made on TV, you might have some more information!! Sure looks tasty…
ooh this sounds an awful lot like wonton noodles we have here. minus the wonton and the roasting of peppers. well the recipe does sound very ambiguous about whether to retain the garlic/shallots or the oil. but you know, my family makes the garlic/shallot oil in the microwave. and we get the garlic and shallots nicely crisped, so it’s almost like deep frying, and use the oil in cooking (frying vegetables, meat, etc) and the shallots as a garnish for a crispy and fragrant addition. all we do is put chopped garlic (abt 5 cloves) or thinly sliced shallots (3 – 5) to 2 – 3 tbsp of cooking oil in a bowl, pop it into the microwave for about 1.5 – 2 mins (depending on your microwave setting, i like to do it 1 min at a time) or even more until the shallots/garlic are nice and golden brown. use the oil as cooking oil and i like the shallots garnishing noodles, fried rice and congee. =)
Two of my favorite asian noodle dishes are Heidi Swanson’s Otsu recipe (formerly available here, now available in her latest cookbook), and Cook’s Illustrated’s Dan Dan Mian (I’ll copy it here because their website is subscription only):
Spicy Sichuan Noodlesâ€â€Dan Dan Mian
If you cannot find Asian noodles, linguine may be substituted. If you are using natural peanut butter or Asian sesame paste that has a pourable rather than spreadable consistency, use only 1 cup of chicken stock. Also note that the amount of sauce will coat 1 pound of fresh noodles but only 12 ounces of dried noodles, which bulk up during boiling.
Serves 4 as a main course
8 ounces ground pork
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
ground white pepper
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 tablespoons Asian sesame paste or peanut butter
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger , minced (about 1 tablespoon)
6 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
12 ounces dried Asian noodles or 1 pound fresh Asian noodles (width between linguine and fettuccine) or 12 ounces linguine
3 medium scallions , sliced thin (about 1/3 cup)
2 cups bean sprouts (about 6 ounces) (optional)
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns toasted in small dry skillet until fragrant, then ground (optional)
1. Combine pork, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, and pinch white pepper in small bowl; stir well with fork and set aside while preparing other ingredients. Whisk together oyster-flavored sauce, remaining soy sauce, peanut butter or sesame paste, vinegar, and pinch white pepper in medium bowl. Whisk in chicken stock and set aside.
2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large stockpot over high heat.
3. Meanwhile, heat 12-inch skillet over high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add peanut oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add pork and cook, scraping along pan bottom and breaking up pork into small pieces with wide metal or wooden spatula, until pork is in small well-browned bits, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter/chicken stock mixture; bring to boil, whisking to combine, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to blend flavors, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in sesame oil.
4. While sauce simmers, add noodles to boiling water and cook until tender (refer to package directions, but use them only as a guideline and be sure to taste for doneness). Drain noodles; divide noodles among individual bowls, ladle a portion of sauce over noodles, sprinkle with scallions, bean sprouts, and ground Sichuan peppercorns, if using; serve immediately.
The Szechuan Noodles recipe is awesome. I’ve been making it since I got married, and I’m pretty sure we’ve had it at least once a month for nine years straight. I usually use the sauce/noodle recipe as a base and add a ton of whatever vegetables and protein we feel like.
Amie, Ms. V — Sounds from the other Serious Eats commenters that the shallots/garlic, because they’re incredibly mushy at that point and not very appealing (we tasted one, eh) that it’s the oil you keep. Nonetheless, the recipe is unclear and the effort, I’m not sure worth it.
StickyGooey — I definitely need to finish my way through Steamy’s archives–I bet she’s got some excellent fixes.
Freddy — That looks awesome. Thank you!
Made these last night. I would agree, a lot of work, for not as much flavor & texture as I would like. However, I tried to save time by using premade yakisoba noodles and trying out cooking just the garlic and about 2 tbsp of the oil in the microwave on hi for 2 mins. GREAT way to get quick flavor infused garlicky oil! I then added a bit of rooster sauce instead of fresh chilis to add a little heat to the oil & nam pla. The honey blend of soy/vinegar/honey I felt was lightly sweet albeit plain, & definitely needed the addition of the garlic and spice oil. I also felt the recipe really needed some crunch, and added bean sprouts, slivered cabbage, and chopped peanuts, in addition to some chopped cherry tomatoes, cilantro and mint. (I skipped the roasted red pepper). Come to think of it, I may have converted it to more of a Thai thing! But with the crunchy additions, I think these noodles were vastly improved.
I’ve been searching for an Asian inspired noodle dish and made Freddy’s version (above). I threw some pan-seared tofu and carrots on top. Yum!
i used to serve at a jean-georges restaurant and yes- his food is really labor intensive. but the subtle nuances just add the special something.
i’m glad you have this recipe up because i’ve been craving this dish for a while. try it with shrimp and a squeeze of lime… delicious. :)
These is an incrediblee website. I’ve enjoyed every recipe that I’ve tried. Enjoy.
omg deb. omg. this is….this is…..http://www.mywisewife.com/images/stories/FoodReview/CarpenterSt/CarpenterSt2.jpg my hometown’s most popular dish!
Silver Spoon, page 299: spaghetti with garlic and chile oil. Quickest most delicious noodle dish EVER.
Do you think omitting the fish sauce would be a big deal? My husband is vegetarian and I am not sure exactly what ‘flavors’ fish sauce adds to dishes. Thoughts?
You can. If you Google around, you’ll find many vegetarian suggestions for fish sauce substitutions; I haven’t tried any but they might give you a place to start. It adds a salty/fermented oomph.