Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles (Cōng Yóu Bàn Miàn 葱油拌面)
Scallion oil noodles are a Shanghai street classic: scallions slowly fried into a fragrant oil, a simple sauce of light and dark soy and sugar, and springy wheat noodles. Five ingredients, a result that beats far more complicated recipes.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 225 g scallions 8 oz, about 2 bunches (12–15 stalks); washed, thoroughly dried and cut
- ¼ cup neutral oil 60 ml
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar brown or white
- 450 g wheat noodles 1 lb
Instructions
- Wash the scallions and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Trim the ends. Cut them into long pieces, then halve each piece lengthwise.
- Pour the oil into a pan or wok and add the scallions. Fry over medium heat. As soon as the white parts of the scallions turn golden, remove them and set aside. Leave the oil in the wok.
- Turn off the heat and let the oil cool for about a minute. Then carefully pour in the mixture of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. Stir and let the residual heat of the oil dissolve the sugar completely.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until done.
- Drain the noodles and transfer them to the wok. Toss so every strand is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Divide the noodles among serving bowls and top with the crispy fried scallions.
Notes
1. Besides traditional Chinese wheat noodles, feel free to use rice noodles, soba or even Italian spaghetti.
2. If the oil isn't hot enough and no bubbles appear when you add the soy sauce and sugar, turn the heat back on briefly to warm the sauce.
3. You can make a bigger batch of the sauce and keep it in the fridge for up to a month. Use the fried scallions within 3 days.
4. Dry the scallions really well after washing – wet scallions will spatter in the hot oil.