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Noodles with crispy chilli oil eggs
This dish is all about the crispy chilli oil. I’ve been addicted to this stuff for ages, spooning it over everything from scrambled eggs to seared steaks. My obsession started with the Lao Gan Ma version (a Chinese brand you can find in large supermarkets, Asian food shops or online), but making your own is easy and really satisfying. The crispy bit comes from garlic and shallots, which are sizzled until crisp. However, once submerged in oil, they only stay crispy for a day or two. You can add peanuts for extra crunch, although I prefer sesame seeds in mine. This, tossed through noodles and used to baste a crispy fried egg, is my comfort food de jour.
Cassie Best
SERVES 2 PREP 25 mins COOK 50 mins EASY V
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 pak choi, each halved through the core
2 tsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil pinch of sugar
200g cooked noodles (I use straight-to-wok noodles, egg, udon or ramen noodles)
2 large eggs
For the crispy chilli oil (or use ready-made)
4 small shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1 head of garlic (about 8-10 cloves) thinly sliced
1 x 10cm cinnamon stick
4 star anise
500ml vegetable oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
30g crushed red chilli flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar
To make the chilli oil, tip the shallots, garlic, cinnamon stick, star anise and oil into a wide pan (a
