Golden Fried Garlic Sesame Noodles

I thought this dish was simply a product of laziness, hunger, too many packages of fresh Asian noodles in the fridge, and little imagination—in that order.

I have never encountered a recipe for an Asian noodle dish quite this simple. And it never occurred to me to serve it to friends (or share it with you), because I considered it a secret fetish—ridiculously delicious but too humble to mention.

I got the idea for the golden fried garlic from Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen in Portland. They serve an addictive noodle and fresh herb salad sprinkled with crisp-fried slivers of garlic. I always ask for extra fried garlic.

Then I started frying copious quantities of slivered garlic in the OtherWorldly Kitchen and keeping it on hand to garnish, well, just about everything.

With my new love for fried garlic and my life-long love for sesame oil, these chewy-good noodles were inevitable. And they’re just too good not to share.

Golden Fried Garlic Sesame Noodles

I LOVE these silky, chewy, fragrant, spicy noodles. I would eat them daily if MauiJim would let me. Quick and easy to make on the spot, Golden Fried Garlic Sesame Noodles are even easier to make ahead, and then simply reheat to serve.

Technique Note   I fry lots of garlic at one time, separate it from the oil, and store them both in the fridge.

Noodles
8-10 ounces fresh, Asian-style wheat noodles
1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
fine sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black paper, lots

Garlic
2 tablespoons canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
8-10 large cloves garlic, skinned, and very thinly sliced

Garnish
roasted sesame seeds
slivered green onion

1. To prepare the garlic, add oil to a 10-inch nonstick skillet and set over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles on contact with the hot oil, add garlic. Using a silicon spatula, move the garlic around almost continuously to color it evenly. When light golden brown, pour the garlic and oil into a small heatproof container and let cool. (Alternatively, leave garlic and oil in the pan and proceed with the recipe.)
2. To cook the noodles, fill a large pot (preferably fitted with a perforated insert, with cold water, and bring to a rolling boil. Add noodles, separately them as you let them drop into the boiling water. Boil for about 3 minutes, until noodles are tender but still a bit chewy. Drain into a large colander set in the sink and spray with cold water until no longer warm.
3. To season the noodles, drain noodles well and put into a large mixing bowl. Add sesame oil, vinegar, salt, and plenty of pepper. Toss gently to combine. (This is best done with your hands. Each noodle should be coated lightly with oil.)
4. Either proceed to Step 5, or put seasoned noodles into a large Ziploc bag, seal, and refrigerate until needed.
5. To complete the dish, add oil and garlic back to the skillet, along with the cooked noodles and toss to combine. Heat over medium-high heat, tossing repeatedly to distribute flavors. If desired, lower the heat a bit, and stop tossing quite so often. This will allow the noodles to get a little crispy in places.
6. To serve, when heated through, use tongs to arrange noodles in two shallow bowls. Top with toasted sesame seed and green onion.

Serves 2.

Cookin’ with Gas (inspiration from around the web)

• eCurry: Burnt Chili Garlic Noodles
• Rasa Malaysia: Garlic Noodles
• The Noodle Guy: Vietnamese Garlic Noodles–Thanh Long Style