If you are craving a big bowl of noodles packed full of flavour, spiciness and yumminess, you need to try our Chili Garlic Noodles. This recipe comes together in 15 minutes and it can be enjoyed as a main dish if you serve it with protein or as a side dish.
Are you the kind of person that normally adds more garlic than the recipe asks for? If so, you will love this recipe! Garlic, spring onion and chilli flakes cooked in sesame oil are just such a beautiful combination. Add soy sauce, maple syrup and lime to this equation and you've got the perfect base for a mouth-watering noodle dish.
What we love so much about this dish apart from the umami packed flavour is how fast you can make it. We make this recipe on those really busy days when we just have 30 minutes to cook and eat. We are not really organized people so some days, we just realize is lunch time and we haven't even though about what to cook!
Add some plant-based protein and vegetables to these garlic noodles and you've got yourself a full main dish. We love serving them as a side dish too with stir-fried veggies.
This recipe is vegan and can be made gluten-free if using rice tamari instead of soy sauce.
Ingredients
This dish comes together using simply 8 ingredients.
Rice noodles. For this recipe, our favourite type of noodles are the thick flat rice noodles.
Sesame oil. You can use any other vegetable oil, but sesame oil adds so much flavour to our chili garlic noodles.
Spring onions. Preferably, use the white part for the stir-fry and the green part to garnish the dish as it doesn't need cooking.
Garlic. Loads of garlic! We use 4-5 garlic cloves and the dish comes out really garlicky, but that's the point right?
Dried Chili flakes. If you love spicy food, the more the merrier!
Stir fry sauce. We make a simple stir-fry sauce with soy sauce, lime juice and maple syrup. Use tamari for gluten-free option.
Method
Chili Garlic Noodles can be made in three simple steps.
- Cook the noodles following the packet instructions, rinse them with cold water and leave aside.
- Heat up the sesame oil to medium heat and add the spring onions finely sliced. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the crushed garlics. Cook for 1 minute and add the chili flakes. Make sure your oil is not too hot as the garlic burns quite fast and it won't taste good if it does. Stir for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the stir-fry sauce. Add the cooked rice noodles and mix well. Before serving, garnish with the greener part of the spring onions and sesame seeds.
Add some plant-based protein to your dish
If you want to make this side dish into a main dish, make sure to add some plant-based protein and even some fresh veggies! Which protein do we recommend using when cooking Chili Garlic Noodles? Have a look!
Tofu is the perfect plant-based protein to use in Stir-fries. It's easy to cook, you can find it in any supermarket nowadays and you can flavour it with the sauce you are using to make the Chili Garlic Noodles. Tofu is plain, so make sure to pan fry it before with some of the stir fry sauce or leave it marinating for a couple of hours.
Tempeh is the healthiest option but I still know a lot of people (myself included) that doesn't enjoy eating it. It has a deep aftertaste but many people love it and it's a wonderful protein source.
Seitan. For a meatier option, you can use seitan. Seitan is made out of gluten and it doesn't need much flavouring.
Soy Beans or Edamame. This last plant-based protein that we would use in a stir-fry is as well an amazing choice. Frozen or fresh, edamame will add more colour and textures to your stir fry
Tahini. Sesame seed paste, that's all tahini is. It's packed full of protein and it will give your stir-fry a creamier taste.
Noodles used to make Chili Garlic Noodles
To make chili garlic noodles we use thick flat rice noodles. Rice noodles are such a great option for a side dish and the thicker variety of rice noodles are our favourite when it comes to garlic noodles. Chewy and yummy! This option is gluten-free as well.
Other options
Wheat noodles. These type of noodles hold up the sauce well. Asian style wheat noodles are a perfect choice for this recipe too. Same as with rice noodles, we prefer the thicker ones!
Ramen noodles. We love cooking with ramen noodles, they are fun and super quick to prepare. If you have some ramen noodles at home, discard the seasoning packet and add them into our yummy chili garlic oil.
Make sure to check our other noodle stir fry recipes:
Chili Garlic Noodles
Ingredients
- 150 g thick flat rice noodles
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 spring onions use the white part finely sliced
- 4-5 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- juice of ½ lime
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Garnish
- Black sesame seeds
- Spring onion green part
Instructions
- Cook the noodles following the packet instructions, rinse them with cold water and leave aside.
- Heat up the sesame oil to medium heat and add the spring onions finely sliced. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped. Cook for 1 minute and add the chili flakes. Stir for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the stir-fry sauce, combine the ingredients and add the cooked rice noodles and mix well. Before serving, garnish with the greener part of the spring onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
| If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations! |
Manisha says
If I have red and white onion in the house but do not have green onion,
Is there a way to substitute?
Laura says
Hi! Spring onions really make a difference giving the dish an umami punch. You can use white onion, but we totally recommend using spring onions maybe next time!