Hoisin, garlic and noodles sounded like a great combination. These come together quickly and can be dressed up or down depending on what’s in your fridge and pantry. Serves 4:
Hoisin Garlic Noodles
- 14 ounces dried wheat or egg noodles
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Chinese Shaoxing wine (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse until the noodles are cool.
While the noodles are cooking, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and black vinegar and Shaoxing wine taste, adjust to your preference and set aside.
Heat a large 12” skillet on medium-high for 2 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil along with the garlic and white parts of the scallions. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds (be careful that the garlic doesn’t burn). Immediately add the sauce and the noodles and toss well until the noodles are evenly coated.
Leave the noodles to cook, undisturbed, until they start sticking to the pan and the bottom looks crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve, transfer to bowls and top with the sesame seeds, the green parts of the scallions and enjoy!
My verdict:
These were really good and easy. I added some sliced roast pork with the noodles, and it was delicious. The noodles never really got crispy, but it might have been hunger that kept them from having enough time to crisp up.
I used half the amount of Chinese egg noodles with a whole recipe of sauce and it was more than enough for 2 people, but probably not enough sauce for a full recipe of noodles. You could use linguini, but the Chinese noodles are worth checking out.
If you don’t have black vinegar, a little balsamic would work–adding a little at a time to get it the way you like. Same with the Shaoxing wine, some sherry or more balsamic, would be fine.
The original recipe called for adding a couple of teaspoons of maple syrup or honey, but my hoisin was sweet enough without it. If you like a sweeter taste, add it. I was looking for some spice, so served it with some chili crisp and will add it to future batches.
We ate the noodles hot, but they’re also great cold (having just nibbled some leftovers).
