Hoisin sauce contains fermented soybeans aged 6+ months, creating deeper umami than any quick garlic noodle hack.
Hoisin Garlic Noodles
Dive into a bowl of Hoisin Garlic Noodles, where rich hoisin sauce meets the aromatic kick of garlic and the crisp freshness of scallions! This quick and easy dish is bursting with flavor, making it the perfect weeknight meal that will leave your taste buds dancing. Get ready to slurp up some seriously satisfying goodness!
Prep
10
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This dish is pure Chinese-American ingenuity from 1960s San Francisco Chinatown, where Cantonese cooks discovered that hoisin sauce—traditionally reserved for Peking duck—could transform humble wheat noodles into something that satisfied homesick immigrants and curious American palates equally, creating what food historians now call the first truly successful East-meets-West noodle fusion that didn't involve a single Italian in sight.
Regional Twist
In Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui district, they swap the maple syrup for maltose and add fermented black beans alongside the garlic, creating a darker, funkier version that's become the gold standard.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 6 green onions
- ¼ cup (59 ml) hoisin sauce
- 14 oz (397 g) noodles
- 4 tbsp (59 ml) toasted sesame seeds
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- garlic (to taste)
- maple syrup or honey (to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- sesame oil (to taste)
- soy sauce (to taste)
- vegetable oil (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the noodles in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and rinse to cool.
- 2
Mix hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil, and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- 3
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and white parts of the scallions, and cook until fragrant.
- 4
Quickly pour in the sauce and add the noodles, tossing to coat.
- 5
Let the noodles cook undisturbed until the bottom turns crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes, then season to taste.
- 6
Serve topped with toasted sesame seeds and the green parts of the scallions.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Rinse cooked noodles with cold water for 30-45 seconds to remove excess starch and stop carryover cooking, preventing mushy texture when stir-frying.technique30-45 seconds
- ✓Heat your skillet to 400-450°F before adding oil and aromatics - the high heat creates the Maillard reaction needed for proper wok hei flavor development.equipment400-450°F
- ✓Use a 3:2:1 ratio of hoisin to soy sauce to maple syrup for balanced umami-sweet flavor, as hoisin's bean paste base needs the soy's salinity to bloom properly.ingredient3:2:1 ratio
- ✓Let noodles sit undisturbed for exactly 2-3 minutes to develop crispy bottom layer - moving them earlier prevents proper moisture evaporation and caramelization.timing2-3 minutes
- ✓Add garlic 30 seconds before the sauce to prevent burning, since garlic scorches at 280°F while achieving optimal fragrance at 250-275°F.technique280°F burn point
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Hoisin sauce contains fermented soybeans aged 6+ months, creating deeper umami than any quick garlic noodle hack.
Hoisin Garlic Noodles
Dive into a bowl of Hoisin Garlic Noodles, where rich hoisin sauce meets the aromatic kick of garlic and the crisp freshness of scallions! This quick and easy dish is bursting with flavor, making it the perfect weeknight meal that will leave your taste buds dancing. Get ready to slurp up some seriously satisfying goodness!
The Story
This dish is pure Chinese-American ingenuity from 1960s San Francisco Chinatown, where Cantonese cooks discovered that hoisin sauce—traditionally reserved for Peking duck—could transform humble wheat noodles into something that satisfied homesick immigrants and curious American palates equally, creating what food historians now call the first truly successful East-meets-West noodle fusion that didn't involve a single Italian in sight.
Regional Twist
In Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui district, they swap the maple syrup for maltose and add fermented black beans alongside the garlic, creating a darker, funkier version that's become the gold standard.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 6 green onions
- ¼ cup (59 ml) hoisin sauce
- 14 oz (397 g) noodles
- 4 tbsp (59 ml) toasted sesame seeds
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- garlic (to taste)
- maple syrup or honey (to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- sesame oil (to taste)
- soy sauce (to taste)
- vegetable oil (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the noodles in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and rinse to cool.
- 2
Mix hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil, and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- 3
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and white parts of the scallions, and cook until fragrant.
- 4
Quickly pour in the sauce and add the noodles, tossing to coat.
- 5
Let the noodles cook undisturbed until the bottom turns crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes, then season to taste.
- 6
Serve topped with toasted sesame seeds and the green parts of the scallions.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Rinse cooked noodles with cold water for 30-45 seconds to remove excess starch and stop carryover cooking, preventing mushy texture when stir-frying.technique30-45 seconds
- ✓Heat your skillet to 400-450°F before adding oil and aromatics - the high heat creates the Maillard reaction needed for proper wok hei flavor development.equipment400-450°F
- ✓Use a 3:2:1 ratio of hoisin to soy sauce to maple syrup for balanced umami-sweet flavor, as hoisin's bean paste base needs the soy's salinity to bloom properly.ingredient3:2:1 ratio
- ✓Let noodles sit undisturbed for exactly 2-3 minutes to develop crispy bottom layer - moving them earlier prevents proper moisture evaporation and caramelization.timing2-3 minutes
- ✓Add garlic 30 seconds before the sauce to prevent burning, since garlic scorches at 280°F while achieving optimal fragrance at 250-275°F.technique280°F burn point