You just can’t go wrong with a plate of slurp-worthy Garlic Noodles! These chewy, springy noodles are infused with garlic in three different ways including garlic oil, fresh garlic, and fried garlic. They are outstanding as a side dish or as a main course all on their own.
Garlic noodles combine a handful of humble ingredients yet somehow transform them into an absolute flavor bomb. There are different ways to make garlic noodles, including a variation that features butter and Parmesan cheese.
Perhaps a lesser known but absolutely delicious version is this Hawaiian-style inspiration. It hails from Tin Roof Maui, owned by one of my favorite Top Chef contestants, Sheldon Simeon.
This version features a trio of garlic: fresh garlic, fried garlic, and garlic-infused oil. Once I sampled these noodles myself on a trip to Maui, I knew they were the garlic noodles of my dreams. They are incredibly easy to make, and use a brilliant trick to make fried garlic and garlic oil simultaneously with a quick and easy microwave hack.
At Tin Roof Maui, you can get an order of garlic noodles on its own or upgrade their kau kau tins to feature these amazing noodles in place of plain white rice. We enjoyed the noodles as a bed beneath crispy and fantastic mochiko chicken, but I would have loved them in any shape or form. I love that they’re so easy to make, so I can whip them up any time I have a craving!
Ingredient notes
- Noodles:
- If you can find them, use fresh or frozen saimin noodles (which are made with wheat and egg), or use other wheat noodles such as ramen, yakisoba, or fresh chow mein noodles.
- The measurements in the recipe are based on using fresh or frozen noodles.
- I used frozen pre-cooked saimin noodles which just need a quick blanch in boiling water (about 30 seconds). Each portion weighs a bit more than a portion of fresh noodles because they are already cooked and have already absorbed some water (so I used about 18-to-19-ounces, or 4 portions, instead of 16-ounces).
- The recipe is simple enough that even if you have slightly less or more noodles, you can easily adjust the amounts of dashi powder and soy sauce to flavor the noodles to your liking.
- If you need to use dried or instant noodles, about 10 ounces of dried noodles or 5 packages of instant ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet) will hopefully get you close.
- Dashi Powder: Use instant dashi powder to add a quick, umami kick to these noodles. You can also use vegetarian instant dashi powder if you want to make vegetarian garlic noodles.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer using low-sodium soy sauce. If you are using regular soy (not low-sodium), start with less and add more as needed to get to your desired flavor.
- Garlic: Since garlic is such a predominant flavor in this recipe, make sure your garlic is fresh and hasn’t started to sprout! You'll need one or more heads of garlic, depending on their size.
How to make it
First, make the microwave fried garlic.
Place minced garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and add oil. Cover with a paper towel or microwave lid so nothing splatters.
Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat this process, stirring and microwaving in 30-second increments until the garlic begins to brown. Then continue to repeat, stirring and microwaving in 15-second increments, until the garlic is a deep gold.
Drain the garlic in a sieve set over a small bowl or measuring cup, reserving the oil.
Transfer the microwave fried garlic to a plate lined with paper towels and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Set aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles to the pot and jostle them around a bit to loosen them apart. Cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a wok or nonstick skillet, heat the reserved garlic oil (from making the microwave fried garlic) over high heat until it shimmers. Add the drained noodles and fresh minced garlic, tossing to coat.
Then add soy sauce and dashi powder and continue to stir-fry for another minute or two until the sauce is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and transfer the noodles to a serving dish or divide into individual bowls. If desired, reheat the fried garlic briefly in the microwave until crispy.
Garnish the noodles with the fried garlic and chopped scallions before serving.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Serve garlic noodles on their own or as a side dish. You can even use them as a delicious base for a more robust stir-fried noodle dish. To this simple recipe, add your favorite chopped meats (make it extra Hawaiian by adding Spam, or perhaps try some chicken or char siu) and any vegetables you’d like (such as cabbage, carrots, onions, celery, bean sprouts).
Note that some par-cooked style noodles (such as chow mein or yakisoba) actually may not need to be boiled before stir-frying them. Check the package to see what style of noodles you got and what the cooking directions are.
That being said, par-cooked noodles still need to stir-fry for a few minutes to ensure they finish cooking. Keep this in mind, and add an extra splash of water if needed while stir-frying so they don’t dry out while they finish cooking, as this is not a very sauce-heavy noodle dish.
Leftover garlic noodles will keep in the fridge for a few days. Reheat in the microwave.
Other recipes you may like
- Mie Goreng (Indonesian Stir-Fried Noodles)
- Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Udon Noodles)
- Saimin (Hawaiian Noodle Soup)
- Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken)
- Hawaiian Loco Moco (Hamburger Steak with Gravy)
- Hawaiian Hot Dog (Puka Dog Inspired Recipe)
- Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad)
- Hawaiian Butter Mochi
- Duke’s Hula Pie (Copycat Recipe)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Garlic Noodles
Ingredients
Microwave Fried Garlic:
- ¼ cup (40 grams) minced garlic (about 8 large cloves)
- ¼ cup neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, sunflower)
- Pinch kosher salt
- Pinch sugar
Noodles:
- 1 pound fresh or frozen saimin, ramen, yakisoba, or chow mein noodles (or 4 portions if individually packaged)
- 2 tablespoons (20 grams) minced garlic (about 4 large cloves)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably low-sodium)
- 2 teaspoons instant dashi powder (such as HonDashi)
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- Sambal oelek for serving (optional)
Instructions
Microwave Fried Garlic:
- Place minced garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and add oil to cover. Cover the bowl with a paper towel or microwave lid so nothing splatters (you may want to wipe condensation off the lid periodically as you proceed so the water doesn’t drip into the bowl).
- Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat this process, stirring and microwaving in 30-second increments until the garlic begins to brown. Then continue to repeat, stirring and microwaving in 15-second increments, until the garlic is a deep gold. This could take between 2 and 4 minutes total, depending on your microwave.
- Drain the garlic in a sieve set over a small bowl or measuring cup, reserving the oil. Transfer the microwave fried garlic to a plate lined with paper towels and season with a pinch each of salt and sugar. Set aside to cool.
Noodles:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles to the pot and jostle them around a bit to loosen them apart. Cook according to the package directions (which could be anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on the noodles). They should be tender but springy. Drain and set aside.
- In a wok or nonstick skillet, heat the reserved garlic oil (from making the microwave fried garlic) over high heat until it shimmers. Add the drained noodles and fresh garlic, tossing to coat. Then add the soy sauce and dashi powder and continue to stir-fry for another minute or two until the sauce is absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the noodles to a serving dish or divide into individual bowls. If desired, reheat the fried garlic in the microwave until crispy, 10 to 15 seconds, keeping an eye (and a nose) on it so it doesn’t burn.
- Garnish the noodles with the fried garlic and chopped scallions before serving. For a spicy kick, top with sambal if desired.
Notes
- Leftover garlic noodles will keep in the fridge for a few days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Noodles:
- If you can find them, use fresh or frozen saimin noodles (which are made with wheat and egg), or use other wheat noodles such as ramen, yakisoba, or fresh chow mein noodles.
- The measurements in the recipe are based on using fresh or frozen noodles.
- I used frozen pre-cooked saimin noodles which just need a quick blanch in boiling water (about 30 seconds). Each portion weighs a bit more than a portion of fresh noodles because they are already cooked and have already absorbed some water (so I used about 18-to-19-ounces, or 4 portions, instead of 16-ounces).
- If you need to use dried or instant noodles, about 10 ounces of dried noodles or 5 packages of instant ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet) will hopefully get you close.
- Dashi Powder: Use instant dashi powder to add a quick, umami kick to these noodles. You can also use vegetarian instant dashi powder if you want to make vegetarian garlic noodles.
- Soy Sauce: I prefer using low-sodium soy sauce. If you are using regular soy (not low-sodium), start with less and add more as needed to get to your desired flavor.
- Adapted from Cook Real Hawai’i
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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