Hi again with another udon recipe, this time for oil spill noodles (AND ITS VEGAN)!! As you know, I am a self-proclaimed noodles connoisseur and certified lazy girl. I’d say this recipe is probably the maximum taste for minimum effort.
First of all, this style of noodle is my favorite of all time. If you’re in the greater LA area, I recommend checking out Northern Cafe in Rowland Heights and ordering these oil spill noodles. I LOVE IT SM!!! I also talked about it in this food diary post.
Unfortunately, they don’t have the same menu items in the Irvine location, which is closest to me. The menu is actually way different and it doesn’t have the oil spill noodles. Heartbreaking. Anyways here’s the tutorial:
Oil Spill Udon Noodles Recipe (Vegan)
Serving size: 1
Ingredients
- 1 udon serving
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chili powder or cayenne
- Green onion
- Infinite garlic
- Neutral oil
*I’m not telling you exactly how much I put of each because honestly, I don’t know, I eyeball everything all the time. It’s really just however much your heart desires. Optionally you can add other seasonings to the mix like cumin, fennel. Just eyeball it, ok?
Instructions
- Prepare the udon according to the package, or boil for a few minutes until unfrozen.
- Strain and add them to the bowl you’ll be serving on.
- Combine the seasonings and throw it on top of the noodles. DO NOT MIX!
- Add soy sauce, green onion, and minced garlic on the noodles as well. DO NOT MIX!
- Heat up some oil in a pan. It should be hot enough when it makes tiny bubbles around a dry chopstick when inserted.
- Carefully pour the oil over the seasoning and garlic that we placed on top of the noodles.
- It should sizzle when you pour the oil over our flavorings. If it doesn’t, then the oil needs to be heated up more.
- Mix up the noodles and enjoy!
Tip: Make sure the pot is totally dry before heating up the oil, or you will get hurt cuz the oil be poppin.
Origin of Oil Spill Noodles
If you’ve ever seen the words “oil spill noodles” floating around on social media or a menu and wondered why the name is so weird… the real name is yóu pō miàn (油潑麵) and it comes from Shaanxi province in north-central China, especially the ancient city of Xi’an.
The nickname “oil spill” is basically a funny mistranslation. Yóu means oil, pō means to pour or splash, so it’s literally “oil poured noodles.”
The backstory
Shaanxi has been making these crazy-wide hand-pulled noodles for centuries. Farmers and travelers wanted something filling and cheap, so they stretched dough into thick “belt” noodles (people call them “belt noodles” because they’re as wide as a belt). Street vendors would boil the noodles, top them with chopped garlic, chili flakes, green onions, and then pour smoking-hot oil right on top.
The iconic sizzle of the hot oil blooms the chili and aromatics instantly and releases a cloud of garlicky, spicy perfume. If you’re anywhere nearby you will turn your head.
Why everyone loves them now
This dish never stayed hidden in Xi’an. Xi’an is on the old Silk Road, so these noodles traveled, and now you’ll find versions of yóu pō miàn in noodle shops all over China and in tons restaurants abroad.
Lowkey I feel annoyed this is the third recipe I posted in a row. They’re not even like banger ones. I hope this doesn’t turn into a recipe blog cause that deffo not what I am trying to do. But then again, I don’t know what I’m doing. I just want to have a nice little blog. Before all this, I was posting a bunch of DIY stuff. Welp, let’s see what my heart fancies next week I guess?
Hope your noodles were great and that the oil didn’t hurt you.
Looking for something else to make? Try the Udon Carbonara here!
Happy eats,
Big J