Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodles
This simple vegetarian dish made with scallions, oil, two soy sauces, sugar and noodles is pure comfort food in Shanghai homes.
Servings 4 as a lunch or 6 as a side
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 scallions (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/3 cup grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (we used reduced-sodium)
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 12 ounces Chinese white noodles (see Kitchen Notes for substitutes)
- salt, if needed
Instructions
- Cut scallions crosswise into thirds. Julienne the sections lengthwise, keeping white/pale green parts separate from the dark green parts.
- Put oil and white/pale green portions of the scallions in a cold wok or deep skillet. Set heat to medium-low and toss scallions to coat with oil. When scallions begin to sizzle, add dark green portions and cook, stirring frequently, letting scallions become a nice, golden brown. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer scallions to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. They will seem limp while cooking, but as they rest on the paper toweling, they will crisp up.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions. (If your noodles aren’t going to be ready in the 2 minutes it takes to finish the oil, just turn off the heat under the oil pan until 2 or so minutes before the noodles are done.)
- With the oil pan on low, add both soy sauces and sugar to the oil, stirring to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. It will bubble up, and that is fine.
- Drain noodles and rinse under running water. Add noodles to pan, along with some of the scallions. Toss to completely coat noodles with the scallion oil. Taste and adjust with salt, if needed (you probably won’t need to).
- Transfer noodles to a serving bowl or individual bowls. Top with remaining scallions. Serve.
Kitchen Notes
How many scallions? Scallions vary greatly in thickness, making the number inexact. You want about 5 ounces or so.
What kind of noodles? Recipes call for a range of noodles, including the vaguely named Chinese white noodles. Honestly, researching this will make your head hurt. You can also use lo mein noodles or wheat noodles. We found Korean wheat noodles labeled as “wild round”—we assume it was supposed to be wide round, even though the noodles were squarish. They cooked up well and were nicely soft and chewy. Some recipes say you can also use ramen noodles.
Liz's Crockery Corner. The sleek white bowl featured in the noodle photo is a useful find from World Market. The ceramic bowl shard shown here is something Marion dug up in our backyard while doing some spring gardening. We know nothing of its provenance. But the ruler shown for scale came from some flea market or vintage shop around St. Louis. It is a promotional ruler for a long-gone shoe store on South Broadway. Among its claims to fame was that the store sold Peters Weatherbird children's shoes, a brand featuring the beloved Weatherbird character that used to give the weather forecast and commentary on daily events in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Peters Shoe Company sold the brand from 1901 until 1932, when the company was acquired by the Brown Shoe Company, which continued to sell Weatherbird shoes into the 1950s.
Liz's Crockery Corner. The sleek white bowl featured in the noodle photo is a useful find from World Market. The ceramic bowl shard shown here is something Marion dug up in our backyard while doing some spring gardening. We know nothing of its provenance. But the ruler shown for scale came from some flea market or vintage shop around St. Louis. It is a promotional ruler for a long-gone shoe store on South Broadway. Among its claims to fame was that the store sold Peters Weatherbird children's shoes, a brand featuring the beloved Weatherbird character that used to give the weather forecast and commentary on daily events in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Peters Shoe Company sold the brand from 1901 until 1932, when the company was acquired by the Brown Shoe Company, which continued to sell Weatherbird shoes into the 1950s.