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)
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
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
- Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
- Chopped scallion
- Chopped cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- 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!
Katharine says
So good! So simple. Great flavours. The hot oil (used peanut) adds so much of a umami hit. I used it as a side to Southern Thai baked chicken. A bit naughty blending Chinese with Thai but it worked so well. Thanks.
Judy says
I, too, like simple and tasty food.
Anon says
Hi,
Are you guys the one cooking for this delivery site? The image for Dan Dan noodles is the one on this page
https://myshef.com/order/shef/917/
Sarah says
we are not, we’ve actually never heard of that site. But thank you for bringing that to our attention!
rita says
Sorry Sarah, i saw your answer at the bottom of the page.
no need to reply. thanks
Sarah says
no problem, rita!
rita says
Sarah, what oil do you recommend plz ?
Alice says
Hi Sarah,
Amazing recipes – love your blog! I made this last night and it was great, I threw some leftover pork/green bean saute that I had. Question – if I wanted to add some meat to this dish, would you have any suggestions?
Sarah says
Hey Alice, I would just thinly slice some chicken or pork, marinate it with a tablespoon of oil, a teaspoon of cornstarch, and a teaspoon of soy sauce, stir-fry it, and then add it to the noodles after they’ve been mixed up. :)
You could also do that with some ground chicken or ground pork and fry it up until crispy.
NotBuyingIt! says
This is perfect! And vegan too! Thank you :)
Judy says
YES, AGREE!
Lisa M. says
I tried this today, and it’s absolutely phenomenal! I love the bite of the raw garlic, tempered a little by the hot oil and noodles, the freshness of the green onions and cilantro, and the little bit of sweet from the Chines black vinegar. So easy and delicious. I have some homemade chili oil, and was wondering if I could use that instead of regular oil next time?
Judy says
So glad you enjoyed it. I would use regular oil, but add the chili oil afterward. I have to say, this is one of those dishes that I go back to time after time myself :-)
Ali says
When you say regular oil what oil is that? Canola, rapeseed, olive oil, etc
Judy says
Hi Ali, you can use canola oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil. Just not olive oil because its smoke point is too low (can’t take high heat).