San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles
Taking inspiration from the recipe in “The Wok” by J, these noodles are a delicious creation. Kenji López-Alt and Helene An’s original creations at San Francisco’s Thanh Long restaurant are known for their simplicity and incredible flavors. However, there is a lot of opportunity for creativity. They make a wonderful pairing with seafood.Recently, I’ve been savoring them with generous servings of tarako or mentaiko, which are Japanese salted pollock roe. For a delightful experience, you can try sushi-style tobiko or ikura, as well as crab or lobster meat. If you’re feeling a bit more extravagant, you could even add on some Western-style caviar.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 20 medium garlic cloves minced or crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 4 teaspoons of oyster sauce
- teaspoons of light soy sauce or shoyu
- 2 teaspoons of fish sauce
- 1 pound of dry spaghetti
- 1 ounce of grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano heaping ¼ cup
- A small handful of thinly sliced scallions optional
Instructions
- Begin by melting the butter in a wok or saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, taking care not to let it brown, approximately 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and fish sauce, stirring well to combine. Remove the mixture from the heat.
- In the meantime, boil approximately 1½ inches of water in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Alternatively, if using a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat just enough water to cover the spaghetti. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, approximately 2 minutes less than the recommended time on the package.
- With tongs, move the cooked pasta into the garlic sauce and any water that sticks to it. (Don’t discard the pasta water; keep it in the skillet.) Turn up the heat to high, put the cheese into the wok, and vigorously stir and toss with a wooden spatula or spoon until the sauce becomes creamy and well-blended, which should take around 30 seconds. If the sauce appears too thin, allow it to continue simmering until it thickens. If it looks oily, splash more cooking water onto it and let it re-emulsify. If you’re using scallions, mix them in and serve right away.