These easy garlic chili oil noodles combine your noodles of choice (gluten-free, vegan, low-carb) with an aromatic garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and chili oil sauce for a simple 10-minute meal! Top up with extra veggies and protein for more of a meal if preferred.
Add the neutral cooking oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it begins to "sizzle."
Meanwhile, peel and grate or mince the garlic and ginger (refer here for the easiest methods of peeling garlic and ginger) and finely chop the spring onions.
Step 2: Prepare the Garlic Chili Oil
Once all the garlic chili oil ingredients are prepared, place them in a small heat-proof bowl and pour the hot oil over them. It will sizzle and smell wonderfully aromatic as it cooks the ingredients – voila, the chili oil sauce is ready!Alternatively, you can add the ginger and garlic directly to the pan and cook until fragrant (20-30 seconds) and THEN remove them from the heat and mix in the remaining ingredients. This will yield slightly crispier and fragrant ginger/garlic.
Step 3: Cook and Assemble the Chili Oil Noodles
Meanwhile, cook your choice of noodles according to their package instructions. For example, glass ribbon noodles require just 3 minutes. Most fresh noodles require just 2-4 minutes, while dry noodles need up to 5-7 minutes to be ready.
Once cooked, drain the noodles in a colander, add them to the chili oil sauce and then toss well to thoroughly coat.
Top the chili noodles with some additional sliced spring onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and enjoy!For an alternative method, you can combine the sauce and noodles in a pan and stir-fry for a minute or two to infuse the noodles further with the sauce and cook away some of the liquid.
How to Store?
Make ahead: you can prepare the garlic chili oil 2-3 days in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator (the oil will solidify when chilled and melt at room temperature or when reheated). Then reheat before adding to the noodles. These chili garlic noodles also work really well with leftover proteins and veggies, so feel free to use any meal-prepped ingredients.Store: allow the spicy garlic noodles to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. I haven’t tried freezing the cooked noodles and I don’t recommend it.Reheat: you can reheat the garlic chili oil noodles in the microwave or on the hob until heated through.
Notes
Adjust the spice: it's easy to adjust the spice level with the amount of chili flakes and powder used, the type of chili, and whether you choose to add additional heat through chili sauce/paste (like sriracha).
Ensure the oil is HOT: this method has you pour hot oil over the aromatics/flavors so they sizzle and infuse into the oil, so the oil must be HOT. You can test it by sprinkling a couple chili flakes into the pan. It should instantly sizzle.
Make sure to toss well: so the noodles are all well (and evenly) coated in the chili oil sauce.
For crispy chili noodles: undercook the noodles when boiling and then add them to a sizzling hot pan with oil and stir-fry for a few minutes, until crispy. Only add the sauce after the noodles are crispy.
Increase the sauce: if you want sauce without more oil, add a splash of vegetable broth instead.
To enjoy a noodle salad: after cooking the noodles, rinse them with cold water and then drain well.
Check the blog post for a list of optional add-ins (like protein and veggies) and answers to top FAQs!