Charred Scallion Oil Noodles with Crispy Shallots

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A Shanghainese noodle classic built on one trick: a big bundle of scallions slowly fried in oil until they collapse into sweet, smoky ribbons. That perfumed oil gets whisked with soy, dark soy and a little sugar, then tossed with hot wheat noodles and showered with crackling fried shallots. Ten ingredients, deep restaurant flavor, and no dairy or eggs anywhere near it.

Ingredients

• 2 bunch scallions (about 16), roots trimmed
• 3 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
• 3/4 cup neutral oil, such as peanut or canola

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 12 oz dried thin wheat noodles (lo mein or somen style)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the noodle water
• 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes, optional

Instructions

1. Separate the scallions: cut the white and light-green parts into 2-inch lengths and the dark green tops into 3-inch lengths. Keep them in two piles. Reserve 2 tablespoons of finely sliced dark green tops raw for garnish. Pat everything thoroughly dry with a towel — wet scallions will spit in the oil.
2. Put the sliced shallots and the 3/4 cup oil in a 10-inch skillet or small saucepan and set over medium heat. Fry, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the shallots are golden brown and the bubbling slows. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel-lined plate and salt lightly; they will crisp as they cool. Watch closely at the end — they go from gold to burnt in under a minute.
3. Add the scallion whites and light greens to the same oil and cook over medium-low, stirring every couple of minutes, for 10 minutes, until limp, browned at the edges and sweet-smelling. Add the dark green lengths and continue cooking 8 to 10 minutes more, until all the scallions are deeply browned, shrunken and just short of crisp. Lower the heat if they darken faster than that.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Lift out about half the browned scallions and set aside for topping; leave the rest in the oil. You should have roughly 2/3 cup of glossy, dark scallion oil.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, water and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves. Pour it into the warm scallion oil — it will hiss — and set the pan back over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce turns syrupy and coats a spoon. Turn off the heat.
6. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil with the kosher salt. Cook the noodles according to the package directions until just tender with a little chew, usually 3 to 5 minutes. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the noodle water, then drain the noodles well (do not rinse).
7. Transfer the hot noodles to a large warm bowl. Pour over all of the scallion oil sauce and toss with tongs for a full 30 to 60 seconds so every strand darkens evenly, adding noodle water 1 tablespoon at a time if the noodles look tight or sticky.
8. Divide among four bowls and top with the reserved browned scallions, the crispy shallots, sesame seeds, raw scallion greens and chili flakes if using. Serve immediately, while the shallots are still crunchy.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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