Author Notes
This noodle cake is a great way to use up leftover noodles, and you can make it as spicy as you want. Adapted from Jean-Georges Vongrichten's Pan-Fried Noodle Cake. —Sippity Sup (Greg Henry)
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: Sippity Sup (Greg Henry) is a world traveler who currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.
WHAT: A crispy way to enjoy noodles—as finger food.
HOW: Pan-fry noodles flavored with Thai basil, chives, chili paste, and ginger to form a cake. Cut it into slices as you would scallion pancakes, then dip each one into a spiced sauce of rice vinegar, soy sauce, granulated sugar, and ginger.
WHY WE LOVE IT: "This cake takes your everyday standard noodles to a whole new level and adds a slight crunch to your munch. Although this recipe has Asian influence, it can also be paired with other ethnic cuisines such as Italian and Greek." — Chef Helen Roberts —The Editors
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
- For the dipping sauce:
-
1/2 cup
soy sauce
-
1/4 cup
rice vinegar
-
1 tablespoon
Sriracha sauce, to taste
-
1 tablespoon
toasted sesame oil
-
1 tablespoon
granulated sugar
-
1 teaspoon
peeled and grated fresh ginger
- For the noodle cake:
-
3 tablespoons
loosely packed, minced fresh Thai basil (or other type of basil)
-
2 tablespoons
loosely packed, minced fresh chives
-
2 tablespoons
sambal oelek, or to taste
-
1
large egg, lightly beaten
-
3 tablespoons
canola oil, divided, plus more as needed
-
1/2 teaspoon
peeled and grated fresh ginger
-
1 pinch
each kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
-
9 ounces
fresh or dried, uncooked lo mein or ramen noodles or leftover noodles (or other egg noodle such as Buitoni angel hair)
Directions
- For the dipping sauce:
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Set aside.
- For the noodle cake:
-
Whisk the basil, chives, sambal oelek, egg, 1 tablespoon canola oil, ginger, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Set aside.
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in the noodles and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes for fresh noodles or 6 to 8 for dried. Be careful not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to the bowl with the basil mixture and toss until well combined.
-
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil in a 10-inch nonstick or cast-iron, slope-sided skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, spread the noodle mixture along with any of the liquid in the bowl evenly across the skillet, pressing it down with the back of a spatula until flat and compact. Cook about 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook until the cake holds together and is well browned on the bottom, at least 3 more minutes (it’s ok to use a wide, flat spatula to peek).
-
Remove the skillet from the heat. Center an 11-inch or large plate upside down on top of the skillet. Using oven mitts or thick kitchen towels in both hands, quickly invert both the plate and the skillet, letting the noodle cake fall onto the plate. Return the skillet to the heat, add a little more oil if needed, then slide the noodle cake back into the skillet, browned side up. Cook until nicely browned on the bottom (again, it’s ok to use a wide, flat spatula to peek). Once browned on both sides, carefully slide the noodle cake onto a cutting board, let rest at least 3 to 4 minutes, then cut into 6 or 8 wedges.
-
Serve hot or at room temperature with dipping sauce on the side.
See what other Food52ers are saying.