Salty, sweet, and loaded with incredible flavor, these Garlic Noodles will surely be a hit in your home!
Every now and then, a restaurant comes along that creates a signature dish worthy of copying. One such dish is garlic noodles, created at the famous Thanh Long restaurant in San Francisco in the late 1970s. It blends Vietnamese, French, and European influences for a global culinary delight. Yes, you can get garlic noodles at many restaurants, but if you want that signature dish served up with Thanh Long’s famous roasted crab or tiger prawns, you have to go there.
This recipe is a copycat of that famous dish. Their recipe is a well-guarded secret, but with its limited ingredients, it is not hard to recreate a meal that comes close to the original.
These garlic noodles surprised me. First, they owe their umami flavors to their Vietnamese roots. However, the nontraditional finishing touch is a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese that takes it over the top. You get that incredible fusion of international flavors that makes you stop and say wow, that really works!
While this dish is meant to be served alongside some protein, it doesn’t have to be complicated. There was one night when I didn’t really feel like cooking—and I got the brilliant idea to crack a couple of eggs into a pan and serve them on top of these noodles. I must say, it was so good and so simple, that I’ll be doing that again.
Are These Garlic Noodles Healthy?
Garlic noodles can be consumed as part of a well-rounded meal. The noodles are meant to be a side dish and were created to go along with the restaurant’s Dungeness crab and prawns. Serving them with seafood or lean protein and vegetables will provide balanced nutritional benefits.
This is an easy recipe to adjust for people who avoid gluten or dairy. Three gluten-containing ingredients are in this dish: noodles, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. You can use any gluten-free noodles you like to make this dish, including shirataki (konjac) noodles, zoodles (zucchini noodles), and buckwheat soba noodles—just check the label on this last option to make sure they don’t contain wheat flour. Substitute GF low-sodium soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos for the soy sauce in the recipe. There are some store-bought brands of GF oyster sauce, or you can substitute mushroom broth, GF Worcestershire, additional tamari, or fish sauce.
Swap vegan butter for the unsalted butter and sub plant-based Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for the grated Parmesan in the recipe. You can also omit the cheese entirely to make this dish dairy-free. However, stick with plant-based butter rather than olive oil in this dish to retain that buttery taste.
Even Tastier Noodles
These noodles are delicious as is, but there’s nothing stopping you from tweaking the recipe to add even more flavor! One of my favorite tweaks is to gently sauté a chopped red chili in a little olive oil and serve this over the noodles. You can do the same with caramelized shallots or red onions. And why not finish with a scattering of toasted sesame seeds? For a zesty contrast, squeeze in a little lemon or lime. You could even try garnishing the dish with some freshly grated citrus zest. Though this dish is only garnished with green onions, you can try experimenting with herbs such as Thai basil, chives, or cilantro. Don’t be afraid to make it your own!
FAQs & Tips
Once the noodles cool to room temperature, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They can be reheated in a skillet on the stove with a little water or covered with a paper towel in the microwave.
Shrimp or scallops are ideal to add while making the sauce, as they cook quickly. You could also add some chopped, cooked chicken, stirring it around in the sauce before adding the noodles. If you add protein, you may want to increase the amount of sauce you prepare, as the protein will soak up some of the liquid you need for the noodles.
You can, but this dish is meant to be made with long noodles, perfect for slurping up all that delicious sauce.
Serving Suggestions
After looking over the menu at Thanh Long, I found that some of our other delicious recipes would go perfectly with garlic noodles. First up are Vietnamese Grilled Pork and Vietnamese Grilled Chicken. You get to make use of many of the same ingredients in these dishes as are called for in the noodles, making them convenient pairings. For seafood complements, Honey-Garlic Shrimp or Salt-And-Pepper Shrimp are delightful alongside the noodles. Add some Sautéed Green Beans, and you have the makings of a delicious meal.
Garlic Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles whole wheat or regular
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Sliced green onions for garnish optional
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to the package instructions until tender. Drain and set aside.
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Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
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Mix the low-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil into the skillet. Cook for another minute, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more brown sugar or soy sauce if preferred.
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Add the cooked noodles to the skillet. Toss the noodles in the sauce until they are well coated.
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Remove the skillet from heat. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the noodles and toss to combine.
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Garnish with sliced green onions if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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