Today, we’re going to share a dish we’ve been making for as long as we can remember: spicy pan-fried noodles. It’s just about as simple as it gets. There’s a small handful of ingredients involved and no special skills required beyond boiling a pot of water and heating up a pan.
Growing up, my mom would prepare this quick and easy dish for my sister and me, and it never failed to satisfy. She would blanch and fry the noodles, and then toss them with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil (plus a little white pepper sometimes, if we were getting fancy).
This flavor combination can make anything taste good, which is why you might recognize it from our “After School Special” Noodles recipe.
Even today, I make this regularly, for a quick lunch, dinner, or snack. Perhaps with some stir-fried leafy greens to round it out!
Note: This was the FIRST EVER RECIPE posted on The Woks of Life, back on June 8, 2013. Now, almost 7 years later to the day, we’re reviving it with new photos, clearer instructions, and nutrition info. We’re also bubbling it up because it’s one of our family’s all-time favorite things to eat!
Hong Kong Style Pan-fried Noodles
You can find the noodles and the chili sauce (to be discussed in a moment) for this recipe at any Chinese grocery store.
You’ll need a particular kind of noodle for this dish. The “Hong Kong Style Pan-fried Noodle,” to be exact. Not to be confused with “wonton noodles,” which can look a little similar.
You may not find the exact brand pictured below, but be sure the package has the words “fried noodle” on it. The noodles are yellow in color, thin, and usually found in the fresh or frozen noodle sections of the store.
The Seasoning Ingredients
And here are the ingredients that will make the sauce: A trifecta of chili sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
We used to make this spicy pan-fried noodles dish with a simple chili garlic sauce (like a sambal). But then…we found THIS:
It’s probably the best sauce ever conceived by man. Uh…woman. Uh……….man?
It’s called “Lao Gan Ma,” which means “Godmother.” We didn’t realize that at first, so we always just called it “the sauce with the lady on it,” which then got shortened to, “Lady Sauce.” You can see her in the picture…gazing sternly from the label.
One day, however, we had friends over for a dinner party, and someone mentioned, “Hey, I found this great sauce over at the Chinese supermarket. But I have no idea what it’s called.”
“Did it have a picture of a lady on it?” we asked.
“No, no. It’s a picture of a man.”
Cue…like, 10 minutes of speculation in which we go over every possible hot sauce brand and ingredient we can think of until one of us has the sense to pull out a bottle of Lady Sauce and brandish it in our guest’s face.
“Is this it?!”
“YES! That’s the MAN!”
“That’s a WOMAN.”
Well hey, what she doesn’t know about face-framing haircut options, she makes up for in her knowledge of sauce making. In all seriousness, though, that lady has created a line of sauces that’s not only incredibly popular in China, but also abroad.
She’s a real person—who never finished school and was nevertheless able to build a global brand! Read more about her in our recipe for Lao Gan Ma Noodles (they didn’t pay us to say any of this by the way––we just really love the sauce).
There are several varieties, but our favorite one is the Chili Oil with Black Bean. It’s a spicy mix of dry roasted chili peppers and fermented black soybeans that is just…uncommonly good.
We put it on everything from noodles to dumplings, but we use it most often for this dish. You can find it online at places like Amazon, but it’s a lot cheaper at your local Chinese grocery, if you have one in your area.
Simple Spicy Pan-Fried Noodless: Recipe Instructions
So you’ll want to put a pot of water on to boil. We’re using our handy wok burner and wok, cause it boils in under five minutes flat. Which is cause for celebration when you can’t wait to stuff your face with these noodles.
When it’s boiling, drop in the noodles and boil them for just ONE minute. No longer! Or you won’t get the crispy texture you’re looking for in the next step.
After your minute has elapsed, go ahead and drain them in a colander.
Heat up a non-stick pan (we use a cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Drop in a handful of your noodles and spread them out in an even layer. Then just let ‘em do their thing.
Take a peek every so often to see if they’ve turned golden.
When they’re crispy and golden, flip them over all at once with one of them fancy restaurant-chef flipping motions. Or, if you have coordination issues/aren’t yet confident with your flipping skills, a spatula or a pair of chopsticks should do the job nicely.
You can use your chopsticks to break up the noodles and get more of the noodles crispy.
Once they’re golden on both sides, slide them onto a plate. Drizzle with about 2 teaspoons of soy, a teaspoon of sesame oil, and some of that Lady Sauce. Stir it all up and dig in!
It’s super easy to make, and if you don’t find yourself in proximity of a Chinese grocery too often, stock up on the noodles! You can throw them in the freezer for later.
(There’s no need to thaw the noodles before blanching them, so you don’t even have to take them out ahead of time!)
Simple, Spicy Pan-fried Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh Hong Kong Style Pan-Fried Noodles (450g)
- Vegetable oil (for cooking)
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Lao Gan Ma spicy black bean sauce (or other chili oil/chili sauce of your choice)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the noodles and boil for one minute. Drain thoroughly.
- Heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Take about a quarter of the noodles and spread them evenly in the pan.
- Let them cook until golden brown on both sides. Slide onto a serving plate and toss with about two teaspoons of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sesame oil, and some chili sauce.
George says
Our LAO GAN MA (老干妈) take on the picture of the lady is “Angry Mom” sauce!
There is another brand that has a photo of a regal looking, nicely dressed young boy. We call it “Little Prince” sauce.
Cooking is fun!
Sarah says
Hahahaha love that, George. So many amazing slang terms for this sauce.
SYlvia says
Is chili oil with black bean the same ?
Bill says
Hi Sylvia, Yes, that is similar if not the real McCoy!
Sarah says
If it’s not the particular Lao Gan Ma brand, it’s probably quite different. That said, whatever chili sauce with black beans you can find will definitely work here––basically any Asian chili sauce or oil works. Just find your favorite!
JoAnn says
Can’t wait to try these recipes!
Bill says
Hi JoAnn, Give this a try – it’s easy and delicious!
MomZed says
My friend, Sophie turned me on to this sauce a few years ago. I call it Sophie Sauce and I am addicted.
Sarah says
haha everyone has a different name for this sauce. I’ve heard, “grandma sauce,” “godmother sauce,” “old man sauce” (haha), and of course, our faithful moniker––lady sauce. I’m surprised how mainstream it’s becoming! Guess it’s just that good.
Tash says
Haha! Lady sauce. We always called it disapproving Grandma!
Sarah says
HAHAHA your name is better. :)
Caleb says
I’ve made this a few times with great success, but I have one “sticking” point– literally! The Hong Kong noodles come in such tight ‘balls’ that most of the noodles end up stuck together throughout the whole process, which makes it tough to make an even layer of noodles when frying
I’ve tried mixing them up while they’re boiling, and also pulling at them a lot during the cooling process, but neither of these is especially effective. I’m always left with big clumps of 10+ individual noodles!
It feels like I could get a better and more even fry if they were all ‘pulled apart’ and not clumpy. Are there any good ways to achieve that when starting with the tightly packed dried noodles?
Bill says
Hi Caleb,
When you cook the noodles, make sure that you have a good sized pot of water so the noodles have plenty of water to cook in. For example, use at least 6 quarts of water for 16 ounces of fresh noodles. You also need to give them a quick rinse in cool or warm water after cooking, which removes the excess starch and prevents the noodles from sticking together. After rinsing, you can pour them in the colander and let the noodles drain of excess water and air dry. Hope that helps!
kashya says
So that’s what I’ve been doing wrong i would fry them up and pour a cup of water into the pan as to not get soggy but I’m going to try the boil for 1 min instead
Sarah says
Glad we could help Kashya!
mel says
This is hands-down my favourite condiment. I always call it “Grumpy Granny”, cos she’s not really a smiler, is she? The shelf label in one of my favourite stores calls her simply “Granny”.
Sarah says
hahahaha that’s so funny! Granny sauce.
Jenn says
I love Chinese condiments and when I read your post of the lady sauce, I thought, I must try this! And then I thought, hmmm that face looks familiar… turns out I already had a bottle in my cupboard. However, the one I have is chili with peanuts. And when I went to my Asian grocery store, while there were many other lady sauces (lots of varieties of spicy chili but I can’t read Chinese characters anymore so the English translation doesn’t particularly help), though not the black bean one that you guys have been using. Was just wondering if you’ve tried any other of the lady sauces?
Sarah says
Hey Jenn, we have indeed! I do also really like the chili crisp sauce with the peanuts that you’re talking about. It’s pretty awesome.
Barry says
I LOL when I read your comments about Lao Gan Ma because the exact same thing happened to me about a year ago!
My wife and I were in Los Angeles, having dinner over a friend’s house, and she brought out this wonderful ‘Chili in oil’ jar. We didn’t really study the picture on the jar that much at the time but when we returned to San Francisco I went to the Asian market we go to and bought a couple of jars.
When we opened up the first jar, probably that night, my wife and I looked closely at the picture and spent the entire meal trying to figure out if it was a man or a woman! If only we had been able to read Mandarin!
You are right. This is truly great stuff that sits apart from others.
Sarah says
Hahahahaha! it definitely seems to be a common thread with this sauce. She’s the most androgynous sauce mascot there is, it seems!
Barry says
Maybe it’s part of their marketing strategy :)