Simple but Indulgent - Chili Garlic Noodles for One

Every time when I see instant noodles on the shelf, I mean the better air-fried kind that usually comes with one or two packets of premix sauce, I thought to myself "why buying this when I can easily put together quality dry noodles with better ingredients?"

Especially for simple flavors, like soy sauce and scallion, sweet and sour sesame, or spicy chili oil, etc. If you happen to have a few staple Asian seasonings, you can easily mix and match while the noodles are cooking and a satisfying meal can be done in five minutes.

However, I do understand that not everyone is born with culinary hands, nor accumulated enough experiences around the kitchen yet, so such products do have some benefits. But if you're up for a challenge, here's one slightly upgraded dry noodles recipe that you can try it out at home. 

Chili garlic noodles - 

Ingredients (one serving)?

• 1 serving ramen noodles
• 2 tablespoons light-tasting oil
• 2 garlic cloves/about 1 loosely-packed tbsp chopped
• 2 strings scallions/about 2 loosely-packed tbsps chopped
• 1 large shallot/about 2 loosely-packed tbsps chopped
• 1 small bundle cilantro/about 1 loosely-packed tbsp chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
• 2 tablespoons black vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

How?

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Peel and chop the shallot. Chop the scallion and cilantro.

Add the following ingredients to a serving bowl - chopped garlic, chopped shallots, chopped scallion, dried red chili flakes, black vinegar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, granulated sugar, and sesame oil. Total nine items.

Take a small pot and drizzle two tablespoons of light-tasting oil. Turn to medium or medium high heat. Wait till the oil gets really hot then carefully pour it right over the serving bowl. The ingredients inside will start sizzling and releasing some of the aroma.

Bring another medium pot of water to a boil. Cook the ramen or noodles of your choice till preferred texture. Once ready, drain well and transfer to the serving bowl.

Mix till evenly blended with the seasonings. You can either mix in the cilantro or sprinkle on top as garnish.

If prepping all these chopped ingredients look too troublesome for you, here's what you need to quickly put together a well-flavored dry noodles. The three key seasonings are soy sauce, black vinegar, and sesame oil. Just mix and match based on your own preference.

You can also add a few touches such as soy sauce paste, oyster sauce, chili oil, sugar, etc. However, if you're not that experienced, just stick with the three key seasonings. Use more soy sauce as the base. The amount of black vinegar used depends on how much you like that acidity touch. And a few drops of sesame oil for the final aroma boost. 

The entire cooking time shouldn't be too far-off compared to making instant noodles, and you've got something healthier to enjoy with. Next time you're doing grocery shopping, perhaps skip the instant kind and stock up few packs of Asian plain noodles instead.