Scallion oil noodles is a simple and hearty dish with tender noodles mixed with super fragrant scallion oil, soy sauce and fried crispy green onions. It is a wonderful side dish that uses only 6 ingredients, and it’s satisfying enough to serve as a light meal by itself. {Vegan}
In China, noodle dishes come in all kinds of forms and flavors depending on the region. In Beijing, I grew up eating Fried Sauce Noodles (Zha Jiang Mian) and Pork Gravy Noodles (Da Lu Mian). In Southern China, fried noodles such as Chow Mein, Lo Meinand Mei Fen are everyday staples. If you like spicy food, try spicy cold Dan Dan Noodle from Sichuan and mung bean noodles in hot and sour soup (Suan La Fen) from Chongqing. You can find fat noodles with chili oil (Biang Biang Mian), hearty beef noodle soup (Lan Zhou La Mian) and spicy tingling Cumin Lamb Noodles in central China.
Today, I want to share one of my favorite noodle dishes from Shanghai cuisine – scallion oil noodles.
What is scallion oil noodles
Scallion oil noodle, or 葱油拌面 (cong you ban mian), is a famous Shanghai dish. It is a super simple and flavorful dish you can get from street vendors or hole-in-the-wall restaurants. To make the sauce, you use a bunch of green onions to make a fragrant scallion oil while producing crispy caramelized scallions that are mildly sweet. The oil is then quickly cooked with soy sauce and a touch of sugar, to create a savory noodle sauce that is simple yet big in flavor. Just mix the sauce and crispy scallions with thin wheat noodles, and you will get a rich and fragrant noodle dish that is so satisfying to eat.
A slightly improved recipe
The key to making great scallion oil noodles is to nail the scallion oil, and to use a good sauce-to-noodle ratio. I shared this recipe a while ago using the traditional approach, but I updated it slightly for an even better result based on my experience over the years.
- Use less oil
Traditional scallion oil noodles use quite a bit of oil. You will need to slow cook the scallion for a long time to infuse the oil. In this recipe, I reduced the amount of oil so it’s just enough to make a batch of the sauce. By reducing the oil, the scallions will char quickly so you can reduce the cooking time. You will also get a very fragrant sauce since the scallion-to-oil ratio will have increased.
- Use some garlic to add even more flavor
Most of the traditional scallion oil noodles recipes do not contain garlic, but I found that a small amount goes a long way. It makes this simple sauce even richer with a very complex and balanced flavor.
Scallion oil noodle ingredients
What type of noodle to use
Thin wheat noodles work best for scallion oil noodles. I used Wife’s Noodles from Havista. It is a type of semi-fresh noodles that have a really good texture and taste very similar to fresh noodles. If you don’t have access to them, dried thin wheat noodles such as udon noodles will work great. The main ingredients should be wheat and water.
How to cut the scallion
- Cut the scallions to 2” (5 cm) long slices.
- Thinly slice the scallions. Depending on the size of the scallions you use, you can either quarter them lengthwise, or julienne them.
It’s important to thinly slice the scallions into even pieces so they will crisp up nicely.
Set up
The ingredients you need for scallion oil noodles are super simple.
- Light soy sauce
- Dark soy willow
- Sugar
- Oil (any neutral oil would work)
- Minced garlic
- Julienned scallions
- Noodles
How to make scallion oil noodle
- Cook the scallions in the oil until crispy, then remove the fried scallion
- Briefly cook the minced garlic until lightly golden
- Add the soy sauce and sugar
- Simmer the sauce briefly
Once you’ve made the sauce, simply mix the sauce with cooked noodles and garnish by sprinkling the crispy scallions on top.
The sauce might not look like a lot, but it is very rich and flavorful so a small amount goes a long way. Infused with the aroma of the scallion and garlic, the noodles are quite bold in taste. The crispy scallion is mild and slightly sweet, adding a nice texture to the mix.
How to serve scallion oil noodles
Scallion oil noodle is originally a street food and is usually served as a snack or as breakfast. When making the dish at home, I enjoy serving it as a side dish along with other veggies and protein dishes. In the warmer months, I also like to serve it as a light meal for lunch. To make it a more significant meal, top the noodles with some sliced cucumber and tomato, plus some shredded leftover chicken or beef. You can also brown some ground meat (chicken, pork and beef all work well) and add it to the noodle sauce, to use as a topping.
Scallion noodle sauce can be made ahead and saved for later. You should store the fried scallions separately so they remain somewhat crispy.
Other delicious noodle recipes
Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodle (scallion oil noodles)
Scallion oil noodles is a simple and hearty dish with tender noodles mixed with super fragrant scallion oil, soy sauce and fried crispy green onions. It is a wonderful side dish that uses only 6 ingredients, and it’s satisfying enough to serve as a light meal by itself. {Vegan}
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 scallions (*Footnote 1)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 lb (450 g) fresh thin wheat noodles or 12 oz (340 g) dried thin wheat noodles (*footnote 2)
Instructions
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Cut the scallions into 2” (5 cm) long pieces, then julienne into thin strips. If using very thin scallions, you can also quarter them lengthwise if it’s easier. Dry the green onions thoroughly before cooking to prevent oil splatter.
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Add oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the scallions and spread them out as much as you can. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the green onions turn golden brown. Turn to medium-low heat if the scallions brown too quickly and start to burn. Some scallion pieces might brown faster than others. Transfer the browned green onions with a pair of tongs or chopsticks and place in a bowl, until all the scallion pieces are cooked. Save the cooked scallions for later.
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Add the minced garlic to the oil. Cook and stir until turning lightly golden.
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Pour in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. Simmer and stir for 1 minute or so. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles according to instructions. Once cooked, drain noodles and transfer to serving plates.
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Portion the noodles into serving bowls, add a few spoonfuls of the noodle sauce into each bowl and garnish with fried green onions. Serve the noodle with the rest of the sauce on the side. Mix the noodles with sauce before eating. Add more sauce if needed.
Notes
- Depending on the size of the scallions, you might need more or less. If your scallions are super thin, use 8. For bigger scallions with thicker stems, use 6.
- Any type of thin wheat noodles work in this recipe, such as Chinese wheat noodles (挂面, Gua Mian), dried Udon noodles, spaghetti, and fresh noodles.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 28.8g, Protein: 6.2g, Fat: 10.1g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Sodium: 507mg, Potassium: 139mg, Fiber: 2.5g, Sugar: 2.6g, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 2mg
