Carole Food.

This is what I make when I really can’t be bothered to cook, but I force myself to (usually because it's either cheaper or healthier than getting takeout)! It ticks all the boxes when I’m in this mood, i.e. it’s very quick, easy and only uses a handful of ingredients. This recipe only serves 1 but it’s very easily scaled up if needed.

If you’re looking for another noodle dish, be sure to try out these Cumin Lamb Noodles.

Why you’ll love this dish

• Quick - this is a very speedy recipe that can be made in less than 10 minutes! 
• Easy - another great thing about this dish is that it’s super easy. You only need to chop a couple of things and measure a few sauces, and that’s it! The beauty of these easy recipes also means that there’s not much washing up too. 

What ingredients do you need for this dish (includes possible substitutions)? 

Noodles: I’ve used the crinkly ribbon style noodles here, but most types would be fine! E.g. instant ramen noodles, udon and egg noodles would all be delicious. 

Oil: use an oil with a high smoking point and a neutral taste. Sunflower or vegetable oil both work very well. Pouring hot oil over the aromatics really helps release the flavours of everything! 

Garlic: I used three small garlic cloves in this dish. This is probably one of the only dishes I would say that you don't need a massive amount of garlic, a little goes a pretty long way!

Spring onion: we’re only using 1/2 a spring onion in this recipe, but if you want, use the extra 1/2 as a garnish at the end! 

Tomato paste: gives the dish a nice colour and deeper flavour.

Pinch of sugar: this is optional but helps balance the acidity. 

Light and dark soy: both are required here for seasoning and colour. 

White wine vinegar: I know this isn’t really traditional, but it’s what I had in the cupboard... I think most recipes use black vinegar so if you want to substitute the white wine vinegar for black vinegar, beware because black vinegar is a lot stronger so you’ll probably only need a little bit of it in the dish! 

What to serve this with? 

Nothing is needed! But most proteins (e.g. tofu, fried egg) would be delicious.

Instructions 

Prepare the aromatics and spices 

Add garlic, spring onion, chilli flakes, tomato puree and a pinch sugar (optional) into a medium sized bowl. Best to use a glass, metal or ceramic bowl (i.e. not plastic), because you'll be adding very hot oil into the bowl in a minute!

Heat the oil 

In a small saucepan over a high heat, heat the oil until it is sizzling hot, i.e. if you place a chopstick in, the oil will sizzle.

Mix all the ingredients together 

Pour the hot oil over the garlic tomato mixture and stir to combine well. Then pour in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and white wine vinegar and stir again. Finally add the cooked noodles and do one final stir so the noodles are fully coated in the sauce. And that’s everything!