Garlic Chili Oil Noodles (Printable)

Chewy noodles coated with aromatic garlic chili oil for a flavorful, spicy dish ready in minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Noodles

01 - 7 oz wheat noodles (Chinese wheat noodles or linguine)

→ Aromatics

02 - 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
03 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
04 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

→ Chili Oil

05 - 2 1/2 tablespoons chili flakes (Sichuan or Korean preferred)
06 - 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
08 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Oil

10 - 3 tablespoons neutral oil (canola, sunflower, or grapeseed)

→ Sauce

11 - 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
12 - 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar)
13 - 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
14 - 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

# Directions:

01 - Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of cooking water, then set noodles aside.
02 - In a heatproof bowl, combine minced garlic, white scallion parts, chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns if using, white pepper, sugar, salt, and toasted sesame seeds.
03 - Warm neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.
04 - Carefully pour hot oil over the chili-garlic mixture, allowing it to sizzle and release aroma. Stir to blend fully.
05 - In a large bowl, combine light soy sauce, black vinegar, dark soy sauce if using, toasted sesame oil, and reserved noodle cooking water. Whisk to integrate.
06 - Add drained noodles to the sauce bowl, then pour the infused chili oil over. Toss thoroughly until noodles are evenly coated and glossy.
07 - Sprinkle green scallion parts and additional sesame seeds over the noodles. Serve immediately, stirring again before eating.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • You'll make it once and suddenly have something you crave at midnight, the kind of dish that justifies keeping good noodles in your pantry.
  • The entire thing comes together in the time it takes to boil water, which is either a miracle or a trap depending on your willpower.
  • Spicy, garlicky, and deeply satisfying without needing meat or complicated techniques—just confident flavors doing what they do best.
02 -
  • The oil absolutely must be hot enough to sizzle audibly when it hits the spices, or you'll end up with raw-tasting garlic and chili flakes instead of that bloomed, fragrant thing you're after.
  • Don't use the whole scallion for both components—the separation matters because cooked white parts become mellow and the raw green parts stay bright and sharp, and that contrast is what keeps your palate interested.
  • If your chili oil sits for more than a few minutes before hitting the noodles, it'll cool down and separate, and the whole effect falls flat, so time everything to come together at once.
03 -
  • Chinese black vinegar is genuinely worth ordering online if you don't have an Asian market nearby; it's not the same as balsamic and it's not optional if you want that deep, slightly sweet undertone.
  • Toast your own Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan for thirty seconds before crushing them—it's a tiny step that changes everything about how they taste.
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