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.
Recipe 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, Chinese black 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!
Hi Sarah!
What kind of oil would you recommend using for the hot oil? Thank you! I love learning about the many subtle nuances of Chinese cooking. They’re fascinating! :)
Hi Jess, we use canola oil, light olive oil and avocado oil for Chinese cooking. You can also use peanut oil, or a vegetable oil of your choice. Something with a relatively high smoke point is good. :-)
Thank you for sharing . Your recipes are quick and easy.
You are very welcome.
Holy mother of—! These noodles were amazing! I had never tried any hot-oil cooking methods (it kind of scares me, to be honest), but the photo of this dish looked too good not to try. I followed the recipe exactly and was rewarded with the most flavorful, satisfying, umami-rich bowl of noodles ever! From now on, any time I have to chop garlic and scallions for a recipe, I’ll set aside some extra, just to make this dish. Thanks for a great cooking lesson and delicious meal.
Hi Jen, you’re welcome, this is one of my favorite quick noodle dishes too!
We enjoyed this recipe very much. I will make it again, and next time I’ll cut back on the oil just a bit, but I’m already looking forward to the next time!
Yayy! So happy to hear that.
What kind of red pepper flakes should we use to get restaurant-quality flavor? Can we not get better result by adding the garlic and red pepper to the oil in the pan instead of pouring hot oil over the ingredients?
HI FS, the reason is that you get that fresh taste of garlic without the sharp edge. Fresh garlic and cooked garlic are very different in taste. As for the chili flakes, regular chili flakes that you put on pizza would do, but Sichuan chili flakes are best. Read about Sichuan chili flakes here: https://thewoksoflife.com/sichuan-chili-flakes/