chili crisp udon noodles;

chili crisp udon noodles;

Udon tossed with a delicious spicy, umami sauce scattered with crispy garlic and aromatics, perfect with katsu (chicken cutlet)

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Chili crisp is my new favorite things! Have you heard of it before? Also known as Lao Gan Ma (老干妈), this oil is chock full of crunchy, crispy goodness. And tossed with noodles, it makes for an insanely easy weeknight meal of chili crisp udon noodles. Served with breaded chicken or homemade chicken katsu, this recipe is a winner in our rotation.

I adapted okonomikitchen’s spicy chili crisp sesame noodles for my own kitchen. I was looking for a recipe for udon noodles and thought this sounded delicious. It was cold and rainy all day, and I wanted to snuggle up and eat comfort food, and this spicy dish sounded amazing. So after fighting with myself to go out to the grocery store all day, I decided to suck it up and brave the rain to get the last couple of ingredients I needed.

The most surprising part was the fact that my local (non-asian) grocery store actually carried the chili crisp. I was all set to attempt it myself from scratch but they had the chili crisp. So I got both. And I honestly think the combination of the fresh oil mixture and the chili crisp made for an even more delicious sauce combination.

I actually did a quick little taste test using the same sauce base. One used my homemade substitute “chili crisp” and the other used the jarred version from the store. Conclusion? The homemade version was packed full of extra umami flavor, but the jarred version delivered on that crunch way more. Solution? Put them both together for an insanely delicious sauce.

The crunchy chili crisp that I found is made of crunchy crispy garlic and crisp almonds. It’s so satisfying. Although I will admit that unless you use a lot of the crisp, the crisp does get spread out across all the noodles. My homemade sauce did crisp a little but I think because you’re frying it, it gets saturated with oil and doesn’t achieve the same crispy crunch. But the taste of fresh ingredients is phenomenal.

Speaking of noodles, Lisa over at Okonomikichen recommends Dao Xiao Mian (AKA ribbon noodles or knife cut noodles), however I had some udon noodles in the fridge and thought they’d work just as well without having to buy another ingredient. You can use whatever noodle you like, but I agree with the original recipe that having big noodles to really get all up in the sauce is the way to go.

Secrets to success

• If you’re looking for quick and fast, you can skip making the homemade chili crisp. Just sub out the ingredients and instructions and take the store-bought chili crisp directly to the sauce. I find it makes it a little sweeter and not quite as much umami-earthiness, but that’s why I use trader joe’s umami seasoning to add some of that in.
• It’s all about the sauce. Use thick and chunky noodles. If you don’t have access to udon noodles, then try ribbon noodles, or any thick, wide noodles to sop up all the delicious sauce.
• Using the miso paste is optional in boiling your noodles. I’m not sure that it made a huge difference in the outcome because there’s so much flavor in the sauce, but I just saved the rest of the broth to make miso soup later in the week.

Looking for other easy weeknight meals?

• Eggroll in a bowl is another easy asian-inspired weeknight meal.
• Get your veggies in with this buttery brussel sprouts and ravioli without weeknight stress.
• A quick and easy base to a whole host of weeknight recipes, try this harissa bulgur rice pilaf. It goes great with lamb kebabs or shrimp tempura bowls.

chili crisp udon noodles;

Udon tossed with a delicious spicy, umami sauce scattered with crispy garlic and aromatics, perfect with katsu (chicken cutlet)

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Oven Temp: –

Servings: 2

Author: bestwithchocolate.com

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Ingredients

Chili Crisp

• 2 Tbsp canola oil (plus additional to decrease spice level depending on preference)
• 1 Tbsp minced shallots
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced (or one large garlic clove)
• 1 scallion green, minced
• 1 Tbsp chili crisp

Chili Crisp Sauce

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp chili oil
• 1 tsp umami seasoning

Udon Noodles

• 2 5-8oz nests frozen udon noodles
• 7 cups water
• 2 Tbsp miso paste (optional)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms
• 1 cup bok choy or greens

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Instructions

Chili Crisp

• Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a small pan over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add the minced Tbsp of shallots and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant.
• Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Add the diced scallions and remove the oil from the heat. Mix in the Tbsp of chili crisp.

Chili Crisp Sauce

• In a small bowl, add 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp maple syrup, ½ tsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp chili oil, and 1 tsp umami seasoning.
• Add in the chili crisp and mix all ingredients together. Season to taste. You can add an extra dash of oil to minimize the spiciness depending on your desired heat level. Set sauce aside.

Udon Noodles

• In a large pot over high heat, add 7 cups water and 2 Tbsp. miso paste (if using). Bring to a boil.
• Add the frozen udon noodle nests and boil until cooked through. Strain and set aside until ready. Reserve miso water for miso soup in the future, if desired.
• Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in the bottom of the empty noodle pot. Add the shitake mushrooms and bok choy and sear the vegetables to desired tenderness.
• Add the udon noodles back to the pot and toss with the chili crisp sauce.
• Top noodles with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with katsu chicken as desired.

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