Garlic Noodles

Sourdough bread or Cioppino usually comes to mind when you think of the iconic dishes from San Francisco. For me, it’s the cozy bowl of buttery garlic noodles that are served alongside the roasted Dungeness crab at Thanh Long. I used to travel quite a bit to San Francisco for work and these Vietnamese American noodles is what I crave the most from the Bay Area. The An clan, the family behind Thanh Long and Crustacean, take great lengths to shield this recipe which are prepared within their secret kitchens. After several attempts at trying to replicate their garlic elixir, I finally landed on this recipe which I think comes close to the garlic noodles at Thanh Long. It’s the perfect balance of garlic, butter and umami flavors and it pairs well with most seafood dishes. The secret to this recipe really comes down to finely mincing the cloves so that the cells of the garlic are ruptured just enough to release most of the garlic oils and aromas without becoming too noxious. After sautéing the minced garlic over low heat, I added the umami triple threat – oyster sauce, fish sauce and Maggi sauce. I usually serve it with seared shrimp or scallops or alongside steamed lobsters. It’s so easy to make and even your pickiest eaters will fall in love with these bowl of noodles.

key ingredients

Garlic: I peeled about two garlic bulbs to produce 3 tbsp of finely minced garlic. I share an easy method for peeling garlic in the section below.

Maggi Seasoning: It’s a dark-brown sauce made of hydrolyzed wheat protein, which MSG is also derived from. It was invented by Julius Maggi in the 1800s in Switzerland and the seasoning became popular in Germany. Since then, it’s transcended cultures and it’s used in soups, stews and stir-fries. You can find Maggi at most supermarkets, Asian grocers and Amazon. If you can, try not to skip this ingredient! However, if you must, you can substitute it with an additional teaspoon of soy sauce and a tablespoon of oyster sauce.

Oyster Sauce: It’s a staple in Cantonese, Vietnamese and Thai cuisines and the sauce is made from oyster extract. It’s syrupy and slightly sweet and salty.

Fish Sauce: I used Red Boat’s Fish Sauce because I have two bottles I need to go through. However, if you have on hand Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) or Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce), use these for a richer umami flavor.

Noodles: I used ramen noodles for this recipe. However, you can substitute it with a variety of other starchy options like spaghetti, ramen, gluten-free noodles, lo mein, and egg noodles.

key steps

Easy way to peel garlic

1. Break off the cloves from the garlic bulb.
2. Gently smash the garlic cloves with the back of a knife.
3. Transfer the cloves to a light food storage container. Make sure to fill only a third of the container with the garlic so that it has enough room to bounce around in the container.
4. Cover the container with a lid. Then shake the container vigorously for about a minute to loosen the papery skin from the cloves.

proper way to mince garlic

1. Trim the dark end of the garlic cloves with a knife.
2. Smash the garlic cloves with the back of the knife.
3. Rock your knife blade back and forth (as shown in the video below) through the smashed garlic until it’s finely minced

Here’s a great resource if you want to read more about the science behind garlic and the various methods to mincing garlic.

faq

how can i make this vegan?

1. Substitute the oyster sauce with hoisin sauce using a 1:1 ratio
2. Substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce, kombu broth or tamari sauce
3. For the butter, you can replace it with vegan butter or avocado oil

what types of seafood can i serve with these garlic noodles?

I love serving these garlic noodles alongside shrimp, scallops or lobster.

Here’s how I prepared and cooked the shrimp in the video:

1. After peeling and deveining the shrimp, I pat both sides of the shrimp with a paper towel to make sure they’re completely dry before searing.
2. Then I season both sides of the shrimp with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Over medium high heat, I sear one side of the shrimp for about 2 minutes in olive oil and then sear the second side for about a minute.
4. Then I remove the shrimp from the pan and I spritz a little bit of fresh lemon juice on top.
5. Serve the shrimp on top of the garlic noodles.

can i add veggies to this?

Absolutely! You’ll always find me sneaking veggies into my dishes for Rey. I like to add baby spinach or chopped kale to these noodles. Broccoli will also work well in this dish.

can i make these noodles ahead of time?

Yes! When I prepare the noodles ahead of time, I quickly rinse the ramen noodles with cold water right after it’s been cooked al dente. Then I add about a tablespoon of neutral cooking oil to keep the noodles from sticking. When the sauce is finished cooking in the pan, I then transfer the noodles to the sauce. I found that rinsing the noodles before mixing the sauce prevents the noodles from sticking together.