Garlic Chilli Oil and Zucchini Instant Ramen Noodles
Soft, chewy ramen noodles mixed with fresh, juicy slivers of zucchini (courgette), then doused in an intensely fiery and hot chilli oil. Top it with a crispy pan-fried egg and a sprinkling of fresh green onions. Hungry yet? These garlic chilli oil noodles are so straightforward, yet packed with fierce flavours: umami from dark soy sauce, the heady aroma from garlic, the nuttiness of sesame, and the velvety richness of egg yolk, to name but a few. Extraordinary.
Who doesn’t love ramen noodles? If you’re anything like me, you’ll have countless memories associated with eating ramen noodles. One of my personal favourites was a Back to The Future marathon complete with basic veg ramen. Yum. They’re perfect as a comfort food, when you’re too tired to cook, or when you’re short on funds.
There are so many ways to elevate instant ramen noodles without adding much extra time or cost. Garlic chilli oil noodles with zucchini is my go-to — it’s ready in less than 15 minutes. You’ll never be eating plain ramen again!
No time? No groceries? No problemmm. Garlic chilli oil noodles to the rescue!
Is this Recipe Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free, or Nut Free?
Garlic chilli oil noodles are nut free. They’re also adaptable to become vegan and gluten free if you require.
To make garlic chilli oil noodles vegan, simply omit the fried egg topping. If you still want extra protein, choose a plant-based one like homemade tofu, tempeh, or seitan — or just eat the noodles as they come.
To make the recipe gluten free, just replace the ramen noodles with gluten-free ramen noodles or rice noodles. Since soy sauce isn’t gluten free either, tamari is the perfect substitute.
What is Chilli Oil?
A common Chinese condiment, chilli oil is made by infusing chilli flakes, aromatics, and spices in a neutral oil. Typically the ingredients will include neutral oil, chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaf, cinnamon, star anise, garlic, and shallots.
The chilli oil in this recipe is a little different. We’ll only be making the amount required to use in the noodles, and as such we won’t be infusing the ingredients. Instead, we’ll be flash-cooking it. That means that we’ll leave out the aromatic spices (most of their flavor comes through infusion!), but also add a few extra ingredients. We’ll be using neutral oil, chili flakes, garlic, sesame seeds, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. This will form our sauce.
Ingredients for Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
- Noodles: I use ramen noodles because they’re quick, easy, and cheap. However, rice noodles, egg noodles or even spaghetti would work here.
- Neutral Oil: Any will do here – canola, vegetable, or sunflower are the most commonly available choices.
- Garlic: Lots of it!
- Chilli Flakes: You can vary the amount used according to how spicy you want.
- Sesame Seeds: This is optional, but they add a great crunch
- Dark Soy Sauce: Substitute with Tamari for a Gluten Free option.
- Black Vinegar: If you can’t find this ingredient, feel free to substitute it with Balsamic Vinegar
- Zucchini: Sliced very thin, the zucchini gets flash-cooked and therefore retains a little bite. It’s refreshing and juicy, a perfect contrast to the spicy noodles.
- Green Onions: The perfect touch of freshness for garnish. Substitute with cilantro (coriander) or garlic chives.
- Sesame Oil: Just a little dash right at the end will elevate your garlic chili oil noodles to the next level!
- Fried Egg: Optional, but the yolk adds an extra depth of richness.
Variations for Garlic Chili Oil Noodles:
One of the best things about this recipe is how truly adaptable it is. You can vary the ingredients in the chilli oil, the toppings, and the noodles!
- Adjust the spice. These Garlic Chili Oil Noodles are spicy. But if you want the flavour without the heat, feel free to dial down the spiciness by cutting the number of chili flakes used in half (or even less!)
- Make it Vegan. The only thing preventing this recipe from being vegan is the fried egg on top. Replace it with a Vegan-friendly omelette or another topping.
- Add toppings. Don’t fancy zucchini with the noodles or the egg on top? No problem. Try tofu, seitan, tempeh, pak choy, broccoli, green beans, kale, carrots, mushrooms, or Chinese leaf instead.
- Change up the garnish. Use coriander (cilantro), Thai basil, or Garlic Chives in place of Scallions (Green/Spring Onions) for a different variation of flavor.
- Switch out the noodles. I love using ramen because it’s quick, easy, and cheap. But this dish will also work with rice noodles, egg noodles, or even spaghetti (shh!).
How to make the BEST Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
- Use stock to cook your ramen. We won’t be using the flavour packets that come with dried ramen, but I do like to cook my noodles in a little vegetable stock. This really increases the umami factor and adds an extra depth of flavour to eat bite. I add a Knorr Vegetable Stock cube to the boiling water and let it dissolve, then add my ramen and cook.
- Prep everything while your ramen is cooking. The cooking of the Garlic Chili Oil sauce will happen very quickly, so it’s imperative that you have the garlic prepped and all ingredients measured out beforehand.
- Reserve a little garlic chilli oil to cook your egg in. If you’re topping with a fried egg, I like to take out about 1 tsp of the chilli oil and use it to cook my egg. This is totally optional though.
Why you’ll LOVE this Recipe:
- Ready in 15 mins
- Quick, easy, and great for beginners
- Cheap and budget-friendly
- Vegetarian and nut free
- Easily adaptable to be vegan and gluten free
- Can be served hot or cold
Garlic Chilli Oil and Zucchini Instant Ramen Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- 1 litre water to cook the noodles
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 210 g dried ramen noodles
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 6 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chilli flakes **
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black vinegar ***
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
- 200 g zucchini / courgette julienned *
For the Egg Topping (optional)
- 1-2 teaspoon oil you can reserve some chili oil
- 2 eggs
For the Garnish
- 1 drizzle sesame oil
- 2 green onions scallions/spring onions, finely chopped
Instructions
Cook the Ramen Noodles
- Add 1 litre water to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Next, add 1 vegetable stock cube and stir to dissolve. Add 210 g dried ramen noodles to the stock and cook according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
Make the Garlic Chilli Oil
- Add 4 tablespoons oil to a medium-sized saucepan over low-medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add 6 cloves garlic (finely chopped), 1 tablespoon chilli flakes **, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds. Cook gently until the garlic develops some colour, then immediately add 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon black vinegar ***, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Stir to mix.
- Next, add 200 g zucchini / courgette (julienned). Cook it for around 30 seconds, then add the cooked and drained ramen noodles. Turn off the heat and toss everything to mix well. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Serve the Garlic Chili Oil Noodles hot or cold.
Make the Topping (Optional)
- If you want to make a topping, heat 1-2 teaspoon oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Crack in 2 eggs and fry until they're perfectly over easy. Serve over the ramen noodles.
- Garnish with 1 drizzle sesame oil and 2 green onions (chopped).
LOVE the flavors and how easy this recipe is!! Perfect for an over abundance of garden zucchini this is. Will half the amount of crushed red pepper as we Love spicy dishes, but the 1 tablespoon was a little hot for us. Thank you for this delicious easy dish!!
Thank YOU so much for the positive feedback, Linda! I’m glad you found it easy to adjust the spice levels to your preference. It is a fiery one. I do the same when I want less heat, but just as much flavour.
If you need more recipes to use up zucchini, I recommend my courgette galette (it can be adapted to a vegan recipe), which I’ve already made several times this summer!