Scallion Oil Noodles (Cong You Mian 葱油面)
Fun fact: I don’t like scallions. But I love scallion pancakes. And as a kid, I loved scallion oil – emphasis on the oil, not the scallions. Every time my mom would make scallion oil, I would diligently pick out every single scallion before mixing my noodles in… some would call me picky. I’ve overcome this and now eat the scallion oil, scallions and all!!
This recipe makes a sh*t ton of scallion oil (probably enough for 6-8 servings of noodles). Feel free to cut the recipe in half to make less. You can store scallion oil in the fridge for up to a month.
to make this vegetarian, leave out the dried shrimp and just add 1 tbsp of shaoxing wine.
Ingredients:
- 3 scallion bunches (~18 stalks), thinly sliced. Split them into two groups: whiter bits and greener bits
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup small dried shrimp, soaked in shaoxing wine (if using larger ones, I would cut give them a rough chop)
- 1 tsp sugar
- noodles of choice, I like guan miao mian, a thin wheat noodle
Directions:
- Heat up oil in wok. Then add in white bits of the scallion in and cook over medium-high heat for ~2 minutes
- Next, add in the green bits of the scallion and allow it cook until the scallions start to yellow ~10 minutes
- Give the scallions a stir and add in dried shrimp and the shaoxing wine liquid. Stir for 3 minutes
- Add in the soy sauce and stir frequently for another 3 minutes
- Finally, add in the sugar and let it simmer for just another minute or two
- Serve with noodles of your choice. While I’m a thiiiccc noodle loyalist, I think scallion oil goes great with thinner kinds, like Guan Miao Mian