It’s astonishing how much scallion flavor you get in these noodles from the infused scallion oil. (Save the flavorful oil left over from cooking the scallions to use in dressings and for drizzling over dumplings or poached fish.) Then take it over the top with a garnish of crunchy fried scallion slices. This recipe is from Taiwanese-American cook Lisa Cheng Smith’s spectacular Lunar New Year feast. Find the rest of her menu here.
Recipe information
Yield
8 regular or 16 small servings
Ingredients
10
¾
1
¼
2
Preparation
Step 1
Cut scallions crosswise into thirds, separating dark green parts from white and pale green parts. Slice lengthwise into very thin strips, keeping dark green and white parts separate.
Step 2
Pour oil into a cold large wok or high-sided skillet. Add white parts of scallions to oil and set over medium-low. Cook until oil starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Add dark green parts of scallions and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are crisped and deep golden brown, 20–30 minutes. Do not rush this; slow, gradual browning as the liquid in the scallions evaporates will yield the best flavor.
Step 3
Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer scallions to paper towels to drain. Let scallions and oil cool. Pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve into an airtight container; discard solids. Cover and chill scallion oil until ready to use.
Step 4
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to manufacturer’s directions, adding 1 Tbsp. reserved scallion oil to the cooking water when you add the noodles. Drain noodles, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid, and return to pot. Add ½ cup scallion oil and toss to coat. Add soy paste and toss to combine. Add soy sauce and toss again, adding cooking liquid as needed to loosen sauce.
Step 5
Transfer noodles to a bowl or platter and top with three-fourths of crispy scallions. Serve with remaining scallions in a small bowl alongside.
Step 6
Do Ahead: Scallions can be fried 1 day ahead. Keep scallion oil chilled; store scallions between layers of paper towels in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Reviews (20)
Back to TopI love these fools that are like I don’t have the ingredients and it was salty etc. you did it wrong. This is actually a wonderful recipe, and you need to slice and separate the scallions and have proper ingredients (worth mail order) but don’t pretend it’s the recipe writers fault. It’s exactly right. If you want more spice, like the Taiwanese you add chili crisp. This is not meant to be spicy, this is meant to worship the scallion.
James Moreill
New York, NY
6/5/2022
Delicious! Slicing the scallions isn't a quick process, but worth it! Cooked the scallions in a wok and they browned and crisped nicely in 25 minutes. Didn't have soy paste so used Gochujang, which led to a spicier end product, but the flavor of the scallion oil was still prominent. Looking forward to trying this again with soy paste.
Lauren
Philadelphia, PA
3/18/2022
I'm a big fan of Bon Appetit recipes but this was really boring and not worth the effort. The scallions take a long time to chop and quite a while to fry. The soy paste is not easy to find (and we live in NYC) and basically seems like soy sauce with the texture of oyster sauce. What was the end of product? Really salty (didn't even use the full amount of soy paste) and not very interesting. I can think of many other noodle recipes that are simpler, easier and tastier. 2 stars.
Daniel C
NYC, NY
4/17/2021
These are amazing. I've made them four or five times since learning the recipe. Fantastic on their own - perfect comfort food - or a delicious foundation for anything you want to add on top: grilled chicken, soft egg, veggies, pickles or any of hot sauce. Don't miss; get the soy paste.
Anonymous
Philadelphia, PA
6/8/2020
Excellent method. I thought I had scallions, but turns out I had green garlic, which worked just as well. I did not discard the green garlic and just ate it with the noodles.
Anonymous
Philly
6/1/2020
This dish was completely worth the effort, which included a trip to the Asian market for soybean paste. Extraordinarily delicious!
Anonymous
Cincinnati
4/20/2020
I added a few whole garlic cloves and a red Thai chili pepper to the scallions as they fried, then discarded them. It gave a nice kick to the dish and I had rave reviews!
Anonymous
Oakville, Ontario
4/13/2020