15-Minute Chinese Hot Oil Noodles (You Po Mian)

These 15-Minute Chinese Hot Oil Noodles are beyond easy to make. Here’s the basic gist: You boil some noodles and veggies in the same pot, throw them in a bowl with some seasonings,  pour a couple tablespoons of hot oil over everything, and mix. DONE. How’s that for easy Chinese noodles recipe!

It’s deceptive, how easy it is. You wouldn’t think that such a simple dish could be that amazing, but with good ingredients (your favorite chewy noodle, for instance. We used this flat xi’an style noodle similar to what we used in our Beijing Fried Sauce Noodle recipe), it’s going to win you over big time. For a while, my mom was going on and on about this dish, and how awesome it was. Having never tried it, I made it for the first time last weekend, and it was a serious epiphanic moment. Where have these noodles been all my life?

This dish gets most of its intense flavor from 2 cloves of raw garlic. Now that may seem really strong. And it is. But in Northern China, raw garlic is used extremely often, and we grew to love it. The hot oil poured over the top mellows it out a bit, but you still get that spicy hum throughout the dish. If you’re not in love with garlic like I am, you can reduce the amount you put in.

But that would make me sad.

But don’t mind me. Feel free to adjust the quantities of any of the seasonings in this dish to your liking. I myself tend to add way more chili and garlic than is probably advisable.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 oz. dried wheat noodles
• a handful of leafy greens (choy sum, spinach, or baby bok choy)
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Chopped scallion
• Chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 1/2 tablespoons oil

Boil the noodles according to package directions until al dente.

In the same pot, blanch the leafy greens until cooked through. Drain.

Add the cooked noodles and greens to a heatproof bowl, along with the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, scallion, cilantro, and minced garlic.

In a small pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Carefully pour the hot oil over the bowl of noodles…

And mix everything together. Serve!

15-Minute Hot Oil Noodles (You Po Mian)

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 4 oz. dried wheat noodles
• a handful of leafy greens (choy sum, spinach, or baby bok choy)
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Chopped scallion
• Chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2½ tablespoons oil

Instructions

1. Boil the noodles according to package directions until al dente. In the same pot, blanch the leafy greens until cooked through. Drain.
2. Add the cooked noodles and greens to a heatproof bowl, along with the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, scallion, cilantro, and minced garlic.
3. In a small pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Carefully pour the hot oil over the bowl of noodles, and mix everything together. Serve!

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