A wonderful dish in its simplicity of ingredients and complexity of flavors. A great side dish to your vegetable or protein or eat as your main event! These noodles are easy to prepare and come together quickly. Definitely worth trying if you are not familiar with this ingredient! And what better way than with lots of garlic!
Just remember in this case, simplicity shines the spotlight on the ingredients…and in particular, the fish sauce. Please don’t deviate from the recommended brand/s…I always hate buying that one ingredient just to make that one dish… so I promise to follow-up with more recipes to use your fish sauce. How does hot and sour soup sound?! Anyway, this is a great dish!
List of Ingredients
- 4 (2 oz.) Bundles of Bean thread vermicelli or mung bean noodles (any brand)
- 2 Tbsp Finely chopped garlic (can use more!)
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tsp Ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp Oyster sauce (any brand)
- 2 Tsp Chicken bouillon (Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base highly recommended)
- 1 Tsp Sesame oil (Kadoya Pure Sesame Oil highly highly recommended)
- 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce (Viet Hu’o’ng Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce ONLY)
- 2 Tbsp Fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2-3 Tbsp Neutral flavored oil for frying (I use refined coconut oil.)
List of Tools
- Medium/large mixing bowl to soak noodles
- Colander to drain noodles
- Small bowl or measuring cup for making seasoning
- Spoon for mixing and spatula
- Measuring spoons and a measuring glass is helpful
- Juicer
- Cutting board and knife
- ⅛ Cup to measure garlic
- 2 spatulas and resting plate
- Large wok-like pot
- Serving plate
Directions
Prepare the garlic
Peel and finely chop ~2 Tbsp of garlic (or a little more!) and set aside.
Try to prepare garlic first to allow it to sit for a minimum 10-15 minutes tooptimize the health benefits. The act of breaking the clove triggers a reaction that boosts the healthy compounds and limits the damage from heat.
Soak the bean thread
Soak 4 (2 oz.) bundles of bean thread noodles in tepid water. Be sure all the noodles are submerged.
Mix together seasoning
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, oyster sauce, black pepper, chicken stock, fish sauce, lime juice, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Drain the noodles
Drain the noodles and place by the stove.
Time to cook
Heat the oil in a large wok-like pot on medium. Once the oil is heated, fry the garlic until cooked but not brown. (Approx. 3-4 minutes)
Add the drained noodles just before the garlic begins to brown and toss with the garlic using spatulas. (You may need to turn down the stove at this point.)
Add the sauce by pouring over a wide area not just in one spot.
Continue to toss and mix in the seasoning thoroughly. The noodles will cook quickly so the dish is ready when all the ingredients are mixed well and tossed completely!
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to submit a photo of your creations! You can upload your photos using my Contact form!
Made this recipe for the first time. Added chopped asparagus and finished with slivered green onion when cooked. Very impressed although next time I will use half the pepper.
It pared well with general Tao chicken and honey garlic pork
I love the added asparagus! I think I will have to try that as well! 🙂 Glad it worked out for you!