I can make my go-to pantry pasta recipe on autopilot in 20 minutes flat, and I do so at least once a month. Boil pasta, brown some garlic and anchovies in olive oil, add chili flakes and butter and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with red wine, and feel the hardships of your day melt like the butter on a hot noodle.
This is all well and good, but it can be limiting. What if I’m not in the mood for those Italian flavors?
This recipe for spicy pan-fried noodles takes the same quick-to-make principle and applies it to the Asian condiments in my pantry. Instead of olive oil, I slick the noodles with peanut and sesame oils. Soy sauce and ginger provide the depth of flavor I get from anchovies. And sriracha supplies the chili heat, while lime juice steps in for lemon.
The only constant is the garlic, which is nonnegotiable when it comes to pasta and me. Here, I slice it thinly and fry it hard until it browns into crisp chips. As it sizzles, the garlic seasons the oil, which in turns imbues the noodles with its heady scent.
My Asian-influenced noodle dish is greener than its European incarnation, from the addition of scallions and cilantro. While neither strictly qualifies as a pantry staple, I often have them on hand, and they are easy enough to pick up at the corner store on the way home from the subway.
The only potentially tricky thing to find may be the noodles themselves. I love this dish with Chinese egg noodles (also called Hong Kong-style noodles) because they are springy when you chew. But I’ve also made it with rice noodles and soba to good results. You need to boil the noodles only until they are halfway done; they finish cooking when you pan-fry them.
Unlike my Italian pasta dish, which works best in its simplest form, this spicy, tangy mess of noodles will readily absorb other ingredients. A handful of thawed, frozen edamame or baby spinach leaves, or both, thrown into the pan at the end of cooking makes the dish even greener. Heartier ingredients that need to be cooked — sliced mushrooms, halved shrimp, bits of tofu, chicken, beef or pork — can be stir-fried before adding the noodles.
After you get the basic technique down and a stash of the noodles in your cupboard, you can adapt this dish however you like. Twenty minutes later, dinner will be done.
Spicy Pan-Fried Noodles
Time: 20 minutes
1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about a bunch; use both whites and greens)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce, more to taste
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. rice wine or sherry vinegar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt, more as needed
6 oz. Chinese (also called Hong Kong) egg noodles, soba noodles or rice noodles
2 1/2 Tbsp. peanut, grapeseed, safflower or vegetable oil, more as needed
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 large eggs, beaten with a fork
2 cups washed baby spinach or 1/2 cup thawed edamame (optional)
1 to 2 tsp. sriracha or other hot sauce, or to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
1 cup cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts, optional
In a small bowl, combine the scallions, soy sauce, ginger, rice wine or vinegar, sesame oil and salt. Let stand while you prepare the noodles.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until they are halfway done according to package instructions. (They should still be quite firm.) Drain well and toss with 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut oil to keep them from sticking, and spread them out on a plate or baking sheet.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. Add the garlic and cook until crisp and golden around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Add half the scallion mixture and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add noodles; stir-fry until noodles are hot and lightly coated with sauce, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, spinach or edamame if using, sriracha, and remaining scallion mixture and continue to stir-fry until the eggs are cooked, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds or peanuts.
Yield: 2 servings
About the Author
