Chili Garlic Noodles
Ciao from Rome! We’re currently slowly waking up from our daily nap and figuring out what we want for dinner. Pasta? Pizza? More Pasta? 20489384 scoops of pistachio gelato? I think we might get pizza… It’s only been 2.5 days in Italy and we’ve already developed our daily rhythm of waking up super early, grabbing an espresso and some form of carb for breakfast, walking a million miles, poking our heads into a gorgeous church, gazing at some ruins or classical art, eating an afternoon mortadella sandwich, walking another million miles, stoping for a drink and apertivo, napping at the airbnb, mustering up enough energy to find dinner, getting a scoop of gelato, and then passing out hard to repeat again the next day. My feet feel like they are going to fall off but it’s all worth it!
I’ll be keeping this short and week because I feel like I need to nap just a little bit more… I was actually going to share Reuben’s Pizza recipe today but Squarespace is failing me and all the drool worthy photos of pizza are not loading! I was frowning a lot this morning and then I remember we are in Rome and I shouldn’t be frowning at all. It will just have to wait 2 more weeks until we are home to share. No worries though, because I have this noodle double feature to share instead! One post back you’ll find a recipe for the greatest and chewiest homemade Chinese egg noodles! They are so good and addicting, you’ll find it hard to ever go back to dried pasta ever again! This recipe dresses up the fresh noodles in a ton of garlic, a healthy amount of butter, and just the right amount of chili oil. It’s simply a spicy version of my San Francisco Style Garlic Noodles. One of the best things on Eat Cho Food!
Despite how red and fiery these noodles look, they actually aren’t super spicy. The butter and the garlic really balance out and mellow the chili oil. I’m normally a wimp when it come spicy food, but I was able to polish off a whole plate without any assistant from a glass of milk! These noodles are perfect as is but would also be pretty spectacular with a side of your favorite seafood or protein!
Chili Garlic Noodles
serves 2-4
Materials:
1 pound of fresh Chinese egg noodles
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 heaping tbsp chili oil - more for garnish
2 tsp sugar
pinch of salt to taste
dash of white pepper
chopped parsley for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish
Steps:
Boil your noodles until al dente. When cooking fresh Chinese egg noodles it should only take about 4 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside to drain.
Heat a large skillet on low heat. Add 5 tbsp butter to the skillet and allow it to slowly melt. Once the butter has melted, add in minced garlic and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. The garlic shouldn't brown too much. You are really trying to infuse the butter with garlic flavor.
Turn up the heat of the skillet to medium high. Add oyster sauce, chili oil, sugar, pinch of salt, and dash of white pepper. Add in egg noodles and toss the noodles so that everything is evenly coated and mixed. Leave the noodles alone for 3 minute and then toss. Repeat this until the noodles are lightly crisped.
Garnish with parsley, sesame seeds, and some extra chili oil if you wish. Enjoy!