Description
Garlic Noodles is a savory, flavorful dish featuring tender ramen noodles tossed in a rich garlic butter sauce enhanced with oyster sauce, fish sauce, and Maggi seasoning. Finished with freshly grated parmesan and green onions, this quick and easy recipe delivers a perfect balance of umami and comfort in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Noodles
- 140g / 5oz dried ramen or noodle cakes (2 cakes)
Sauce and Toppings
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced (about 2 tbsp)
- 2 tsp oyster sauce (substitute vegetarian oyster sauce if preferred)
- 2 tsp fish sauce (substitute soy sauce if needed)
- 1 1/2 tsp Maggi seasoning (substitute soy sauce if preferred)
- 1/4 cup reserved noodle cooking water (plus more if needed)
- 1/4 cup tightly packed freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced (about 1 stem)
Instructions
- Cook the Noodles: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook the dried ramen or noodle cakes according to the package instructions until tender. Before draining, scoop out approximately 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking water and set it aside. Drain the noodles thoroughly and set them aside.
- Prepare the Sauce: In the same saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the finely minced garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until the garlic becomes soft and fragrant but not browned. Stir in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, Maggi seasoning, and 1/4 cup of the reserved noodle cooking water, combining well to create a flavorful sauce base.
- Toss the Noodles: Return the cooked noodles to the saucepan with the sauce. Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and sliced green onions. Toss everything together thoroughly until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce and there is no excess pooling liquid. If the noodles seem dry or the sauce is too thick, add additional noodle cooking water, one tablespoon at a time, to loosen the mixture to your desired consistency.
- Serve Immediately: Transfer the garlic noodles to serving plates or bowls and serve right away for the best taste and texture.
- Serving Suggestion: For a complete meal, top the garlic noodles with a fried egg and add broccolini cooked briefly in the noodle boiling water. Toss the broccolini with Asian Sesame Dressing for an added fresh and tangy flavor. Broccolini takes approximately 3 minutes to cook, so add it to the pot accordingly based on your noodle cooking time.
Notes
- You can substitute ramen noodles with other dried noodles like spaghetti, egg noodles, or linguine if preferred.
- For a vegetarian or vegan version, use vegetarian oyster sauce and replace fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari.
- Maggi seasoning is essential for umami; if unavailable, increase soy sauce slightly to compensate.
- Reserved noodle cooking water contains starch and is key to loosening and binding the sauce; adjust quantity to desired sauce consistency.
- Freshly grated parmesan adds a creamy, salty depth; pre-grated cheese is not recommended for best texture and flavor.
- Broccolini can be cooked in the noodle water to save time and add a healthy green vegetable to the dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Keywords: garlic noodles, ramen noodles, garlic butter sauce, Asian noodles, quick dinner, umami noodles, parmesan noodles
