Garlic noodles is my favorite noodles all these years. There is nothing not to love about Asian noodles tossed with lots of garlic, butter, Parmesan cheese, with savory Asian sauces. It’s one of the most requested dishes on my dinner table!
I learned to make Garlic Noodles after I tried it out at the famous Vietnamese Thanh Long restaurant in San Francisco and Crustacean in Beverly Hills.
Both are sister restaurants and their main draws are roasted crab and garlic noodles, which are utterly delicious. I was instantly hooked and developed this easy homemade garlic noodles recipe.
For the best result, use Asian noodles such as yellow noodles from Asian stores. But pasta such as spaghetti or linguine works just fine. You can eat the garlic noodles plain or serve it with roasted crab (try my recipe!).
You can also serve the noodles with garlic shrimp. Bon appetit!
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Kelly
It’s like the Chinese version of Spaghetti Aglio Olio! Fantastic!
ren
*Vietnamese version
john
Chinese, not vietnamese! There is absolutely nothing uniquely vietnamese about any of the ingredients used to make Garlic Noodles.
The egg noodles and oyster sauce originated in China.
Stir-fried noodles also originated in China.
Garlic and cheese originated in Asia, but this version of cheese was modified by Italy.
Fish sauce is a staple Southeast Asian ingredient used all over Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines, so it didn’t originate in Vietnam. Fish sauce is also used in southern Chinese cooking.
We all know how much Chinese cuisine has influenced many Southeast Asian cuisines, so it’s okay to refer to Garlic Noodles as an Asian dish instead of a solely Chinese stir-fried noodle dish. So don’t claim it as “Vietnamese” when it’s obviously Chinese. We’re okay with saying “Asian”, but not vietnamese.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi John, the reason why I called this Garlic Noodles is because this is served only in Vietnamese restaurants where I live, to me, it’s Vietnamese, even though it might not be Vietnamese at all, or found in Vietnam. If you read my post you would know the back story and that it’s Vietnamese-style because the website of the restaurant mentioned about making and eating this noodles back in Vietnam, which I am not surprise as French used to rule Vietnam. But this blog is not about who owns what and who invented what, it’s merely a personal blog sharing recipes that I love.
john
Hi, Rasa Malaysia. I was actually replying to Ren, but I’m glad to hear from you.
The only reason why I responded to Ren was because I didn’t appreciate how Kelly’s appropriate comment, “It’s like the Chinese version of Spaghetti Aglio Olio! Fantastic!”, was rudely discredited by Ren who said “*Vietnamese version”.
This dish is in fact the Chinese version of Spaghetti Aglio E Olio. There is a culinary history between China and Italy, since Chinese egg noodles were introduced to Italy and evolved into spaghetti and other pasta products.
French cuisine has also influenced Cambodian cuisine and Lao cuisine, but Garlic Noodles has nothing to do with French cuisine, so the French legacy in Vietnamese cuisine doesn’t apply here.
In China, when foreign tourists want spaghetti, they would use Chinese egg noodles as a common substitute. So “Spaghetti Aglio E Olio” in China is made by adding butter and cheese to a traditional Chinese stir-fry of egg noodles, garlic, and a combination of oyster sauce with soy sauce (or sometimes substituted with fish sauce). In China, it is a known fact that Europeans love butter and cheese, so many Chinese chefs have incorporated cheese and butter to traditional Chinese dishes to cater to foreign tourists in places like Hong Kong/Macau.
That’s why I don’t understand why Ren tried to discredit the Chinese. China is quite aware of European preferences. There’s all kinds of European restaurants including Italian restaurants in China, and many use local Chinese noodles instead of Italian pasta.
Garlic Noodles is a modern Chinese noodle dish due to the addition of butter and cheese. I’ve also been to many Southeast Asian countries and have eaten this exact dish at European-inspired restaurants in Southeast Asia such as in Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia. Not surprisingly, Chinese egg noodles are used instead of Italian pasta in those countries too. Should we start calling Garlic Noodles as the Cambodian version? Or maybe the Lao version? Or how about the Indonesian version? Or perhaps the Vietnamese version? :) But they’re all the same buttered Chinese egg noodle dish.
That’s why if Ren doesn’t like knowing that Garlic Noodles is the Chinese version of Spaghetti Aglio E Olio, then it’s fine to say Asian Garlic Noodles or simply Garlic Noodles, but Ren shouldn’t steal the credit from China just because someone in Vietnam is unfortunately trying to take credit for it.
So far, I haven’t seen an Indonesian attempt to take credit for a Chinese dish now called Garlic Noodles, so why is someone in Vietnam trying to claim another Chinese dish?
Do you realize that most of the foods eaten in Vietnam originated in China?
If Ren wants to take a Chinese dish and refer to it as Vietnamese in a private discussion, then fine. But, when someone like Kelly acknowledges it’s true Chinese origins, then no one should rudely reply to it by claiming that it’s Vietnamese, because it’s not. It’s actually Chinese.
Egg noodles, garlic, and oyster sauce are very common ingredients used in Chinese cooking. Egg noodles and oyster sauce are in fact native Chinese ingredients.
If anyone is against China’s culinary history, then we might as well reply to Kelly’s comment with all of the following:
*Cambodian version
*Lao version
*Indonesian version
*Vietnamese version
What’s next? Should we take the famous Chinese scallion and ginger sauce and call it vietnamese pesto? Or how about the famous Chinese hoisin sauce…has anyone called it vietnamese hoisin?
I think you should have responded to Ren and said that Kelly wasn’t wrong. Anyway, I do enjoy reading your blogs.
p.s. any ethnic restaurant (i.e. Veitnamese) is allowed to sell a dish from another country (i.e. China), but this doesn’t mean that the restaurant owner is now the inventor of the dish.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi John thanks for your comment. I didn’t know that you are replying to a previous comment posted. Of course, Chinese food influences the entire Asia region – Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysia, Singapore and the list goes on. Let’s be honest, many iconic Asian dishes won’t even exist if not for Chinese invention – ramen, Pad Thai, Bun, gyoza, mandu, etc. I find it very hard to categorize many of my recipes due to this very reason. I tried to label them according to how I experienced them and I try to tell the back story in my post but I get angry comments a lot, too. But I do respect that while the fundamentals and origins are Chinese, each regional variations add something to the original versions, and that’s why food culture is so interesting–and delicious.
Angie
^ Completely agree
Rose Vo
John,
When did Chinese has parmigiana cheese in their food, better yet noodles???
Chinese don’t even put fish sauce in their noodles either
Chinese using: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, black bean sauce and tào xì
I am so lost at your comments.
Perhaps check your resources throughout before you post any thing about the origin of food
Not once but twice…
WOW…
Brandon J. Li
Dear John,
Your argument is like saying that because the Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich is made using French bread with Pate it is therefore French. Rest assured it is not and most French folks including my Wife’s ancestors would take offense to such an assertion even if they do love the sandwich.
Also like many in Italy that say my countries beloved Mac n Cheese isn’t really Italian at all. Which then my folks in the Southern U.S. generally reply with “Well Bless Your Hearts” (polite way of calling someone an Idiot similiar to the Greeks with Malaka) but of course it isn’t Italian. It’s an American (that has English, Italian, and French influences) dish that most wouldn’t dream of not making and sharing at any Church Potluck Suppers or Barbecues. Just cuz it is made with pasta and bechamel (which is Italian though the French made it famous to the point that it has become a Mother Sauce) doesn’t make it Italian.
Don’t forget some people in China or Taiwan that blast Beef Chow Mein or Chop Suey (chicken, shrimps, vegetable, tofu, seafood, etc.) as not being “Authentic” Chinese. To which my Grandma and Grandpa Li (immigrated from Hong Kong years ago) reply with “Well Bless Your Heart (Grandma Li loves this one too) of course it isn’t. DUH……..It is actually Chinese-American and when done well it can be quite good”. Sadly more than a few Chinese-American restaurants (whether immigrants or ABC) just throw stuff in a wok and pray it tastes okay so I really wouldn’t want them ruining any nice”Authentic” Chinese (or Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Greek, Turkish, French, Mexican, etc.) recipes anyway.
My folks are on Rasa’s side if it is common and popular at their local Vietnamese restaurants it is considered a Vietnamese version. My local Vietnamese restaurants so far haven’t offered it but if they did I would try it in a heartbeat then smile, say thank you and maybe hug the cook.
BTW – My Wife’s 1/2 Sicilian (their Father is pure and immigrated here at 7 yrs. old) often sprinkle Sichuan Peppercorn on various Sicilian-American pasta, pizza and sandwich recipes………Does that now make them Chinese recipes ?
Barb
Oh my!!
Tak Wah
John, I’m glad that you’re proud of the Chinese culture. But chill the f*** out. Stop trying to be a smart ass and annoys people. I’m Chinese and I’m very annoyed by your stupid a** comments.
Jason
To John
I think you don’t understand English and also don’t know much about cuisine, but you act like you’re a pro in cuisine. I totally agree with Ren and Rasa Malaysia. Ren clearly mentioned that it’s a version or variation. Ren didn’t mention anything about the origin of the dish. You’re so rude, John. You shouldn’t comment anything more here. The more you talk the more people look at you as a rude person.
emily
Cheese originated from Poland not China. Fish sauce was first originated in Rome, Italy. Yes egg noodles & oyster sauce did come from China but pasta was actually introduced by the Arabs and not Chinese. Maggie seasoning originated in Switzerland. As for garlic, it’s origin range from China to Kazakhstan. So to say that everything is this recipe is from China is also a false statement. If anything, this dish should be called the Euro asian garlic noodles if you want to be specific.
Erika
WOW! I think there are more important things going on in the world! It is very unfortunate that you made such a huge ordeal about “garlic noodles”. Who cares who made what or who did what. John, you take too much time being upset about a dish that most people enjoy. Relax a bit, and enjoy your life. There are bigger things to fuss over and fight about.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Erika, thanks for your comment, it makes perfect sense.
Concerned
Hi John,
Go out and get laid. You seem stressed.
Rachel
LMAOOOO @John. Your comment just went onnnn and onnnnnn I feel like I was stuck in a time space noodle continuum where neither noodle, nor man, escaped. You must have serious trouble sleeping at night. Garlic noodles must keep you awake :O
Rose Vo
You are so wrong John!
I am Vietnamese and we are known for the best fish sauce…
I invited you look up and watch “if it’s look good, eat it” program on travel channel
Hope you realize your post is a bit out of truth…
Peace on earth!
Jason
John,
I think you don’t understand English and also don’t have much knowledge about cuisine. Ren used the word “version.” Ren didn’t mention anything about the origin of the dish, but Ren clearly mentioned it’s a version or a variation. I totally agree with Ren and Rasa Malaysia. The last word I can say to John is rude. You’re so rude, John! Please don’t comment anything more here, John. The more you talk the more people look at you as a rude person.
nor
what is “maggie sauce”?
Rasa Malaysia
Sorry, a typo. It’s Maggi. http://www.asiansupermarket365.com/Maggi-Seasoning-p/hmsbslej.htm?1=1&CartID=0
Susan Williams via Facebook
What is Maggie sauce?
Rasa Malaysia
http://www.asiansupermarket365.com/Maggi-Seasoning-p/hmsbslej.htm?1=1&CartID=0
Angela Tellone Hatch via Facebook
Check the Asian section of your supermarket. It’s right there with the fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s Maggi seasoning. It’s dark brown and comes in a bottle.
Michelle Hoon-Kooeemui via Facebook
Thanks for your recipe, it seems simple to prepare. Will try this out. ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ
Gary
I lived in Malaysia for 14 years and these are my favorite kind of noodles. If you add in small pieces of fried lard and fried pork balls, eat with some hot sambal chili, it is truly heaven.
Eleanor Hoh
My hubby ate an Italian version nearly everyday and was addicted for 5 years! This looks yummy, Bee.
terry
How long do you cook the noodles???
Rasa Malaysia
You cook the noodles until al dente. It all depends on the type of noodles, should be a few minutes.
Heather
I’ve only just seen this recipe. ‘Al dente’ is Italian for “to the tooth” which means cooked until the noodles are still a little firm when you bite into a piece. The recipe sounds delicious. I keep a variety of noodles and Asian/Malaysian sauces in my pantry and use my imagination. Be adventurous and experiment!
Anna
Yum-yum-yum! And please do post that grilled prawn
recipe very soon. I can’t wait to try them both together!
saluki
A question about the noodles themselves. Do we look for these in the refrigerated case? Also, are you using the French Frentel butter and would it make a significant difference?
Rasa Malaysia
No not refrigerated area but the place they sell fresh noodles.
Tommy
I lived in San Francisco, where do you buy fresh noodles and what brand? please help :( I’m new to cooking
Rasa Malaysia
You can buy the fresh yellow noodles from 99 Ranch.
John
I never cook with MSG. Maggi sauce has MSG in it. I always try to find a substitute for MSG. MSG is a major cause of weight gain in Filipinos. I know it makes the food taste good, but the health concerns of MSG far outweigh the boost in taste. I use combinations of salt, in moderation, ginger, garlic, cumin, pepper, and turmeric in place of MSG. Soy sauce has natural MSG in it, but most soy sauce manufactures add additional MSG. I always read the label. Just a suggestion, but it would great if you could suggest healthier alternatives to Maggi sauce.
Rasa Malaysia
I have no problem using MSG products and only use it in a few of my recipes. Feel free to opt out the Maggi sauce in this recipe and use more oyster sauce.
Autumn
Most oyster sauces also have MSG
imelda
John, I wasn’t aware that MSG is a cause of weight gain, but other unpleasant side effects (dizziness, dry mouth, difficulty breathing) are well-documented. Unfortunately, MSG is frequently used as a cheap shortcut to flavour (it’s a substitute for using great ingredients or putting in cooking time to extract the most from those ingredients), and as such, is common in most Asian restaurant/takeout dishes and processed foods. I was disappointed to not find a single chili sauce in the local Asian market that did not contain MSG in the ingredients list. I think your substitutions are a great alternative, thanks for the advice!
david
Try Brags Liquid Aminos. Its a msg free soy sauce and i think s delicious
Rasa Malaysia
I heard about that…thanks David. :)
Nicholas Sloanhoffer
Thanks for the garlic noodles recipe. It seems like you really improved your technique over the years.
NATALIE
Garlic and noodles are one of my fave combos. So delicious!!
joey
Thank you for sharing this Bee!! I now foresee my future as the most popular guest at potlucks ;)
Fern
You had me at garlic! And this sounds and looks really delicious. Must be bursting with garlicky goodness :) You reckon I can substitute the noodles with spaghetti instead?
Sherry
My husband made these noodles for dinner tonight as an accompaniment to ginger scallion beef. The noodles were wonderful! My local supermarket doesn’t sell the noodles featured in the recipe, so we improvised with a similar type.
Jackie | Sweet and Salty SF
Yum! Garlic noodles are one of my favorite noodle dishes! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Rachel (De Ma Cuisine)
I love almost anything to do with garlic!!! Sounds amazing!
Nomes
Just made this tonight! Awesome! I didn’t have maggi sauce so I substituted with soy sauce and used hondashi (Japanese dashi powder) and water to substitute for the fish sauce. I garnished with chopped cilantro. I totally forgot the parmesan cheese so I’ll have to add that next time. My fiance loved it so much he made me write down the recipe for him. This is a keeper!
Nestor1208
two questions.
First how many people is this recipe for? and second how long approximately are the noodles supposed to cook?
Thank you
Rasa Malaysia
Cook the noodles until al dente, should be a few minutes.
shivani
a recipe after my own heart lots of garlic but my problem is that i am vegetarian. most asian recipes call fr fish or oyster sauce and so i have to skip them n then the dish does not taste all that good. can you suggest some alternate things that can be substituted fr these sauces or some other sauces or ingredients to spice up the noodles.
thanks
Rasa Malaysia
You need those two sauces for the noodles to be good. Or you can use more Maggi seasoning.
joeyseow
There are actually vegetarian oyster sauce in e market too. Tastes abit like oyster sauce but made wo e real thing.
ssp
I’m not sure where you live but usually there is vegetarian oyster sauce which tastes close to the real thing.
Britt
I made this recipe and it came out just like the kind I’ve had in restaurants. Not sure why the noodle cooking time isn’t posted in the recipe, it looks like there were several inquiries from the comments and there was no response. I cooked the noodles for approximately 2-3 minutes, I guess you just have to watch them because the cooking time was not on the package either.
Rasa Malaysia
Cook until al dente or a few minutes. Just taste and test it while cooking.
phnomlwm
I apologize if I am being rude, or generalizing, but noodles vary in cooking (not by much) and the cooking directions are on the back of each individual package. I use different kinds of noodles and the dish is always great. However, if there are no directions on the package of noodles that you have bought, cook them until they are “al dente.” If you are not sure what “al dente” feels, looks or tastes like…google it. Googling is great for all questions. Oh by the way…my noodles were GREAT!!! I used organic garlic and pesto noodles and added tons of fresh pressed garlic.
mark filip
Hi, this recipe sounds VERY delicious but I’m really having trouble finding the noodles. I live in Austin and we have a really large Asian supermarket but I cannot find these noodles anywhere.
Can you give me some more specific information on where I might find them in the store?
Also, what other noodle could I substitute for this? I found some Canton (thin) dry noodles that require cooking first, will that work???
Rasa Malaysia
You use any fresh noodles. Not the thin dry noodles but fat ones. Sorry not familiar with Austin.
mark
Would you know any by brand name or would it be more likely that the store I go to has ‘home made’ ones?
Other than ‘fresh’ noodles, I’m not really sure what I’m looking for and the people in the store don’t speak a whole lot of english unfortunately.
Rasa Malaysia
Sorry don’t know the brand.
RJ
Mark,
Why don’t you print out the description of the dish from the first page(it has the Chinese characters for the type of noodle in the text) or a picture of the noodles into the store and show it to the sales people. That should clear up any confusion.
Good luck!
ssp
just use spaghetti
Bianca
Thank you so much for this recipe! My family loves it! Every time I make this is like a great treat for them.
sfvisalaw
Can’t wait to try this recipe. What type of parmesan cheese would you recommend using? I found a similar recipe and they recommended using the cheap Kraft one in a container. Did you ever posted your recipe for the grilled prawns? Btw, love your site and books.
Roleesun
For those living in areas with few Asian stores, you might find Maggi sauce in the Mexican food section as “Maggi Jugo Sazonador”. I made these noodles tonight and ate them with shrimp. They were delicious.
Shane
Could these be cooked and reheated later?
Shane
Great website, food is amazing..
Rasa Malaysia
Yes.
tuongthuy
Would you think I can use angel hair spaghetti instead? The type that I sold in all supermarkets, like Kroger, Giant, Safeway,… 20oz of dry angel hair spaghetti would come out a whole lot after cooking. How much of angel hair cooking would you think be equivalent to the 20oz yellow noodles. Thank you so very much
Rasa Malaysia
You can but angel hair is too skinny. I am not sure about it because I didn’t use it.
Michelle
Hi bee, can I use hokien noodles? Dont know what yellow noodles mean?
Tommy
Hi – do you have a particular brand or picture of the noodle brand that you use. Sorry I’m not very good with grocery shopping.
thank you
Tom
Tommy
Hi – I am new with cooking and I wanted to try this recipe sounds really yummy. Can you recommend a brand or if you have a picture brand for the noodles that you use.
Thank you,
Tom
Who are these people ?
LMAOOOO YO READ THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS
Kim
I was CRAVING noodles, but I didn’t have yellow noodles, so I used soba noodles & it was DELICIOUS!!! I paired this with Bee’s Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi recipe… It was the easiest, most DELICIOUS dinner in 25mins I have ever whipped up!!! THANK YOU so very much for perfecting both these recipes, Bee!!! xoxo
Jen
Made this tonight and was soooooo delicious!
Kink
What to you mean by yellow noodles? Egg noodles? Chow mien noodles? Or are they just advertised as ‘yellow noodles’?
Ranch99 has so many noodles that are yellow in color.
I’m assuming fresh noodles, not dried.
Can you take a picture of the package/brand of the kind you buy?
Thanks!!
Rasa Malaysia
Yellow noodles coated with oil.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes
Natalie
Greetings from Japan! I’ve never tried this before, but it was delicious :)
A little too buttery / oily for my liking, but I’ll just cut the butter next time! Only added some chili flakes and pepper to up the spice factor.
Thanks for the keeper recipe Bee! :)
teensy little
Thanks so much for posting this. New owner of my favorite little place didn’t get the recipe when they bought the shop, and I have been garlic noodleless for too long. On my second batch also added a bit of hot spice, but either way I’m in heaven. Thanks again
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for trying my garlic noodles recipe. :)
Fongster
I Love coating my noodle with peanut oil and garlic
Sarah
The amount of butter in this recipe is completely unreasonable. I halved the amount. It was still completely unreasonable but so delicious, you just want to keep eating it forever.
SO TASTY and easy.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sarah, lol, the more butter the better. :)
Michael M
For ease and convenience, I like to use a one pound package of dried linguine in place of fresh noodles, reserving some pasta water when they are nearly done. I like to double the amount of sauces and always extra garlic to make is saucy. Very good recipe.
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for trying my garlic noodles recipe.
Kim McElhaney
I was raised in Kansas USA and now live in Texas USA and even the distance between those two states it’s amazing how little things get changed due to where you are raised. I’m glad for the variations, they make food so interesting!
Sob that being said, I made this tonight and even before I got what little leftovers put up, my roommate is already planning trip to store for more noodles! She loves it! I had some chicken pieces I roasted last night so added them to bottom of bowl before putting noodles in, big hit, thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Kim, thanks for trying this garlic noodles recipe. Yes, it’s very good and goes well with just about anything! :)