Spicy Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil ready in 15 minutes! Spicy, garlicky Szechuan chili oil noodles made with Lao Gan Ma chili crisp & fresh herbs.
These Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil deliver a huge kick of flavor and it's ready in just 15 minutes! A spicy sauce made with fresh garlic, ginger, dark soy, a touch of Chinese black vinegar, and of course a spicy chili oil condiment called Lao Gan Ma.
Szechuan Noodles with Garlic Chili Oil
The thing I love most about these noodles is how flavorful they are and how fast they're ready. This dish was inspired by these spicy chili oil noodles I get at this hole in the wall restaurant near my neighborhood. It's so simple and plain but so delicious! It's literally just wide flat noodles, chili oil, and a few herbs sprinkled throughout. No veggies or meat but you wouldn't even notice it by how flavorful the garlic chili oil sauce is.
I kept the ingredients simple just like the restaurant. Wide noodles, soy sauce, lao gan ma chili crisp (chili oil), ginger, and garlic. Then sprinkled on some fresh scallions and cilantro on top. Of course, you can add other ingredients to these lao gan ma noodles but I honestly like it as is. I like the simplicity of this dish, but that's not to say it wouldn't taste amazing with other ingredients.
Additional ingredients for Chili Oil Garlic Noodles:
- Ground meat - pork, chicken, or beef
- Tofu
- Peppers
- Onions
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Shredded Carrots
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
Types of Noodles to Use
You can use any type of wheat noodles for this dish. Wheat noodle holds up best to the sauce as it has a more dense texture than rice noodles. You can even use flat pasta if you're really in a bind, but I highly recommend getting Asian wheat noodles. I found these dried flat ribbon noodles at my local Asian store but I've also seen Asian noodles at my local grocery store in the Asian food aisle.
The name of these wide ribbon noodles is Dao Xiao Mian, which translates to knife shaven noodles, and originate from the Shanxi Province. They are traditionally made by shaving long noodles from a block of dough directly into a pot of boiling water by using a sharp knife or a special tool. They should be thin on the edges and thicker in the middle.
What is Lao Gan Ma?
Lao Gan Ma, "Old Godmother," is a brand of chili condiments created by a woman who used to own a small noodle stand. She would mix her own chili sauce with the noodles and give poor children extra noodles and discounts, hence the name "Old Godmother." These Lao Gan Ma noodles became widely popular and she eventually ended up packaging and selling these. The woman pictured on the bottle is her. 🙂
Szechuan cuisine is known for its generous use of chili peppers. This Lao Gan Ma sauce is filled with Szechuan peppers and dried chilis so you're really getting a lot of Szechuan flavors in these chili oil noodles. Note: Szechuan peppers can also be called prickly ash so don't get confused if you see this on the label.
How to Make Szechuan Noodles with Garlic Chili Oil
- Start sauteing the garlic until it becomes fragrant. Turn off the heat and while the garlic oil is still hot, add in the lao gan ma, dark soy sauce, ginger, and vinegar.
- Meanwhile boil your noodles according to the directions. Mix the spicy chili garlic oil with your noodles and dress with fresh herbs. All done!
- If you want to add meat and/or veggies, saute them separately and then add the sauce and noodles last.
Other Serving Suggestions for Garlic Chili Oil:
- dipping sauce for dumplings
- pour over steamed fish
- use as a spicy dressing
- serve with Asian style cooked meats
- spoon over sauteed veggies
You can serve these hot or cold. They taste amazing either way. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I hope you make these spicy Szechuan noodles with garlic chili oil! Please share, rate, and comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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Spicy Szechuan Noodles with Garlic Chili Oil
☑ Ingredients
- 2 servings Flat or Wide Chinese wheat noodles - can substitute with other wheat noodles
- 1 stalk scallion - chopped
- handful cilantro - chopped
- sesame seeds - for garnish
- finely chopped Thai chilis - - (optional) for more heat
Szechuan Chili Oil Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp - or more depending on your spice level
- 1 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot chili oil
- ½ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ginger - grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles according to the directions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the spicy Szechuan chili oil sauce. Saute the garlic with vegetable oil in a small pot until it becomes fragrant. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the sauce ingredients into the pot. Makes a little over ⅓ cup of sauce. Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Once the noodles are cooked and drained, add as much of the Szechuan chili oil sauce according to your liking and spice level.
- Top with fresh cilantro, scallions, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
✎ Recipe Notes
- Leftover sauce and noodles can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.Â
- Check your Asian grocery store for wide ribbon noodles and make sure they're made from wheat flour. You can use other wheat noodles if these are unavailable.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Sara
This is a great dish with a lot of flavor to savor. I was looking for some dinner inspo and decidd to make this since I love garlic and chili flavors together! So delicious!
Paige
So pretty but also really tasty. I made it and had plenty of leftovers for a great lunch the next day!
Analida Braeger
These were incredibly easy to prepare and make. My family really enjoy them! Thanks so much!
Natalie
Oh wow, the flavors are amazing! I never made Szechuan noodles before but this is pretty easy recipe, easier than I thought. I just saved this and can't wait to make it again.
Femi. O
Thanks for sharing this... I just moved to an area without as much ethnic food diversity and so I really miss my previous hole in the wall restaurant stops, so I look for any opportunity to reproduce some of my favorite meals at home. This definitely hit the spot and satisfied my cravings! Adding this to my list.
Uma Srinivas
These noodles were amazing! The szechuan sauce was spot on! Love this recipe, will be making this again!
Britney
Hi Jamie!
Can you please reply with either a picture of the noodle packaging or the name of the noodles? Also, are they dry noodles or fresh noodles? This looks super yummy and I can’t wait to try it, but would like to try it with those awesome ribbon noodles!
Thank you!
Jamie
Hi Britney! I couldn't find a way to upload a picture in my reply so I uploaded a photo of the package above in the post. These noodles are called dao xiao mian, or knife cut/shaven noodles. They're usually sold dry in most Asian grocery stores. I found one seller on Amazon that sells these but they're overpriced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BKYXL4M/
You should be able to buy these noodles for under $10, probably cheaper but I don't remember exactly how much I paid. Hope you can find these noodles and enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Charity
Love spicy recipes, so this was a must try for me. I added some leftover chicken and vegetables to make this a meal and it was really good!
Jill
Good stuff!! I didn’t have time to do exactly as written. I had some Japanese Crunchy garlic topping I added in place of the garlic and oil. I did have the rest of the ingredients and found those beautiful ribbon noodles that totally make it. It came out awesome!
Jamie
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Jill! Those ribbon noodles are amazing aren't they?! 🙂
Ben
This was really good. I'm a firm believer in the olds saying "the spice makes it nice". Never disappoints.
sheenam @ thetwincookingproject
Oh my!!!! I love these noodles. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe.
Jamie
So happy you like them! 😀
Dannii
Anything spicy gets a big thumbs up from me. This looks like an easy and tasty dish.
SHANIKA
OMG! I'm loving the flavors in this noodle recipe! I love anything spicy! YUM!
Jamie
Thanks Shanika! So glad you love it! 🙂
Cindy @ A Uniquely Edible Magic
I love 麻辣 flavours! A must-try for me 🙂
Jamie
Yes me too! 😀
Natalie
WOW his looks so delicious and perfect for a comforting dinner! Can't wait to try this recipe soon!
Jamie
Thanks Natalie! Hope you enjoy it!
Sophia
This looks so tasty and your pictures are beautiful! Can't wait to try!
Jamie
Thank you Sophia! I hope you enjoy it! 😀
Sara Welch
What an easy yet, flavorful meal! This will be perfect for dinner tonight! Delish!
Jamie
Thanks Sara! Hope you love it for dinner! 😀
Evelyne
I have that sauce so good. I am falling in love with your noodles too. I so want this right now! Great recipe.
Jamie
Thank you Evelyne! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Elaine
Quite a rare recipe of this kind of noodles. Can't wait to try it out. I love experimenting with spices, garlic and noodles so this is perfect!
Jamie
Thank you Elaine! It's so good with this type of flat ribbon noodles. It's definitely worth the trip to your Asian market! 😀
Genevieve
Your photography is stunning and this recipe looks delicious!
Jamie
Thanks Genevieve! Hope you enjoy it.