Garlic Chili Noodles

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic (crushed and roughly chopped)
• 1 inch fresh ginger (minced)
• 3 green onions (thinly sliced, whites and greens separated)
• 2 tbsp Chinese light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar)
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes; use a generous amount)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp neutral oil (referred to as food lube)
• 0.5 lb ground pork
• salt (to taste)
• 8 oz noodles (boiled according to package instructions)
• 0.25 cup pasta water (reserved from boiling noodles)

Steps

1. 1

   Crush and roughly chop the garlic cloves. Mince the ginger by cutting it into thin slices and then using a bench scraper or knife to finely mince.

2. 2

   Thinly slice the green onions, keeping the white parts separate from the green parts.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, prepare the sauce by combining the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, gochugaru, sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix well.

4. 4

   Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Reserve a small amount of the cooking water before draining.

5. 5

   Heat a generous amount of oil in a hot skillet. Add the ground pork and season with a little bit of salt.

6. 6

   Allow the bottom layer of the pork to get some color, then flip it over and break it up into smaller pieces.

7. 7

   Add the prepared garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the green onions to the skillet. Cook until the aromatics are nice and fragrant.

8. 8

   Pour in the prepared sauce and work it into the pork and aromatic mixture.

9. 9

   Add the boiled noodles and a splash of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Toss everything together to coat the noodles evenly.

10. 10

    Stir in the reserved green parts of the green onions just before serving.

Notes

The author suggests using a bench scraper to mince ginger after slicing it thinly. Ensure you boil the noodles while preparing the pork to keep the total time around 10 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• noodles
• pork
• spicy
• quick-meal
• stir-fry