If you’ve ever lived in San Francisco or visited with a well curated list of restaurants, there’s a good chance you’ve eaten garlic noodles at Thanh Long in the Outer Sunset or its sister restaurant Crustacean in Nob Hill. Come for the whole crab but fall in love with the garlic noodles! Chef Helen An has made this dish famous over the years.
This is one of the meals I crave the most when I’ve been out of the country for a while. To me, these Garlic Noodles are unapologetically San Franciscan; the side that steals the show time and time again! I literally cannot have crab without wishing I had these noodles.
Garlic Noodles (Thanh Long and Crustacean Copycat)
These Garlic Noodles are unapologetically San Franciscan thanks to local icon Chef Helen An.
Ingredients
- 14-16 oz fresh Lo Mein Noodles
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 scallions white parts sliced and greens reserved for garnish
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or aminos
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or granulated
- ¼ cup water
- ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano finely grated; sounds weird but it really gives the umami factor
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions and set aside to drain.
- In a small bowl, add fish sauce, oyster sauce, aminos, and sugar; stir to combine and set aside.
- In a large saucepan or wok, heat butter and olive over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil start to bubble, add garlic and white parts of the green onion. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, being careful not to brown the garlic.
- Add the sauce and water to the pan, let it start to bubble then add the noodles and toss to coat in the sauce. Add the finely grated cheese and toss until combined.
- Garnish with sliced scallion greens and a light sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately!