Whether you make your noodles from scratch or not, rest assured this dish will hit the spot no matter what universe you may find yourself in.
Ingredients
Simple Scallion Noodles Ingredients:
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch segments + more to garnish
⅓-½ Cup neutral oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
8 oz wheat noodles of choice (i.e. frozen lo mein noodles)
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 ½ Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
Advanced Scallion Noodles Ingredients:
Adapted from video
1 L (~4 ¼ Cups) neutral oil
2-3 anise stars
5-7 bay leaves
8-10 scallions, cut into 2 inch segments + more to garnish
2 small shallot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 (3-inch) knob ginger, peeled + sliced
4-6 cilantro stems, roughly chopped
8 oz Hand-Pulled Wheat Noodles
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 ½ Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
Hand-Pulled Wheat Noodles Ingredients:
Adapted from recipe
250 g all purpose flour + more for dusting
½ tsp kosher salt
125-150 g water
As needed neutral oil
Method
Simple Scallion Noodles Method:
Add the scallions in the medium high-walled skillet. Add enough neutral oil to the skillet to just cover the vegetables.
Heat the oil over medium high heat until the vegetables begin to bubble, then reduce the heat the medium-low and continue to cook the vegetable for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and noodles to the water and cook according to the package instructions.
Drain the noodles and optionally, run them until warm water to prevent them from sticking to one another. Transfer the noodles to the pan with the scallion oil.
Pour the soy sauces and sugar over the oil/cooked noodles and toss to combine for 30 seconds to 1 minutes over low heat.
Garnish with more chopped scallions and serve.
Advanced Scallion Noodles Method:
Add the oil to a large wok. Begin heating the oil over high heat until it reaches about 140 °F.
Reduce the heat to medium, then add the anise, bay leaves, scallions, shallot, onion, ginger, and cilantro to the oil.
Once the oil is bubbling, continue to cook the mixture until the vegetables are tender and the scallion just begins to turn yellow, about 20-25 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking the vegetables until they turn light brown in color, about 8-12 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the oil to infuse for 5 minutes.
Strain the oil using a mesh sieve or slotted spoon to remove the crisped vegetable. Reserved a ¼ cup of the crispy vegetables for serving. Set the infused oil aside in a heatproof vessel.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauces and sugar.
Add the salt and Hand-Pulled Wheat Noodles to the boiling water. Cook the noodles for 1 minute, then transfer cooked noodle to the still dirty wok used for cooking the scallion oil.
Turn the heat to medium, then add the sauce and about ¼ cup of the infused scallion oil. Toss to combine the sauce with the noodles. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce completely coats the noodles.
Serve immediately with a garnish of the reserved vegetables
Hand-Pulled Wheat Noodles Method:
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then slowly add the water until a shaggy dough forms. Add just enough water that no dry spots of flour remain but the dough is not sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead until a homogenous dough forms. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
After resting, knead the dough once more until completely smooth, about 8-10 minutes. If the dough is becoming too tough, cover and let the dough rest for another 10 minutes, then resume kneading.
Divide the dough in half then cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Roll the dough into ovals about ½ inch in thickness. Lightly oil the dough ovals and a small sheet tray. Place the oiled ovals onto the sheet tray, then cover and let rest for 1 ½ hours.
Prepare a large sheet tray with a dusting of all purpose flour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Working with one dough oval at a time, slice the dough into strips about ⅓ inch thick. Take one piece of the dough into your hands and stretch it until it is only ¼-⅙ inch thick. Fold the stretched dough in half and stretch the dough once more. See video for further instruction.
Place the stretched noodle onto the prepared sheet tray, then repeat with the remaining dough.