Garlic Noodles
el Jan 26, 2026These garlic noodles are deceivingly simple, yet devastatingly delicious. Garlic noodles were invented back in the '70s at a restaurant in San Francisco called Thanh Long. Usually served with roasted Dungeness crab, the recipe is a very closely guarded family secret, but after lots of investigation, and even more experimentation, I think this is very close.
Ingredients:
- For the Secret Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 pinch cayenne pepper
- For the Noodles:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces spaghetti
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon chopped green onion, or to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Directions:
Step 1: Gather all ingredients. Stir soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl for the secret sauce.
Step 2: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Quickly stir in the secret sauce and turn off the heat.
Step 3: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet slightly firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
Step 4: Transfer spaghetti into the sauce using tongs, bringing some of the cooking water with it. Toss until well coated; stir in Parmesan cheese. Splash in more pasta water if noodles are too dry.
Step 5: Plate noodles; garnish with green onions and red pepper flakes.