Ten-Minute Garlic Butter Noodles

This is the dinner I make when the fridge is empty and the will is weak. It's inspired by the San Francisco chef Charles Phan's famous garlic noodles — the umami combo of soy, oyster sauce and butter is somehow much more than the sum of its parts.

Any long noodle works: spaghetti, linguine, egg noodles, ramen. Use what you have.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles in well-salted boiling water until just al dente. Scoop out 100ml of the cooking water before draining.
2. While the noodles cook, melt the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
3. Stir in the soy, oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar until you have a glossy sauce.
4. Add the drained noodles and a splash of the reserved water. Toss for a minute until every strand is coated. Add the parmesan and most of the spring onions and toss again.
5. Serve straight away with the rest of the spring onions and a drizzle of chilli oil if you like heat.

Cooking tips

• Keep the heat medium-low when the garlic goes in. Burnt garlic is bitter and ruins the sauce.
• The pasta water is not optional — the starch is what makes the sauce cling.
• Add a fried egg or a handful of prawns to turn this into a proper meal.

More like this

If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll find more of my favourite quick & easy recipes in the archive, or browse the full collection.