Chili Oil Garlic Noodles (V, GF Option)

Because garlic breath is underrated, am I right?

I’m resharing this recipe as the first savory recipe in our official archive. It’s super easy, vegan (can be made GF), and comes together quickly. I almost always have these ingredients in my pantry so it’s a go-to when I can’t think of anything to make for dinner. Pair it with some veg and protein and you have a balanced meal!

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I’ve tried to recreate Lan City’s hot pepper oil noodles and I think I’ve come pretty darn close. It was one of our go-to take out options when we lived down the street from the Ypsilanti location. Now that we live farther away, there has been more motivation for me to recreate the dish for when the craving strikes.

I tried a couple different methods of making the sauce and found that the 油潑 (you po, meaning “oil sprinkled”) method produced the best and closest result. This method involves heating oil until very hot and pouring it over aromatics to release flavor. This particular noodle dish is a staple in the 陕西 (shanxi) province, located in the central northwest part of China. It’s also a popular way to prepare vegetables—blanch whatever Asian vegetable you like (bok choy, gai lan, etc.) until crisp tender, drain, then pile on the ingredients in this recipe and drizzle the hot oil over top. You can thank me later!

The recipe is easy with minimal ingredients and active time, unless you want to tackle making your own noodles too, which is definitely worthwhile if you have the time. Your breath will reek and your mouth will taste of garlic for the next 24 hours, but is it worth it? Oh yes.

Deliciousness