Hoisin Ginger Noodles Recipe

If you've eaten a steaming bowl of pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, you've probably encountered a bottle of hoisin sauce. The dark, multifaceted condiment that's savory with a bit of sweetness is also common in Chinese food, where it's often utilized in barbecue-style dishes and served alongside classics like Peking duck. And as this recipe proves, it also tastes fantastic in stir-fried noodle dishes, especially when combined with other bold flavors like garlic, soy, and sesame. 

"Hoisin sauce is the standout flavor in this dish. The combo of sweet, savory, and fruitiness is so delicious here! The ginger adds a real warmth to the dish too," says Catherine Brookes, who crafted this recipe for hoisin garlic noodles that's tasty, flexible, and easy to throw together on a weeknight or for a filling lunch at home. "This is great served with spring rolls, soups, or salads," she adds. Here's how it's made.

You'll obviously need hoisin sauce, garlic, and noodles for this recipe — specifically crushed garlic cloves and soba noodles. As for the vegetable component of the recipe, Brookes elaborates, "I prefer to use fresh green beans as I think they give a better texture, but you could certainly use frozen or canned if that's what you have." You'll also need chicken thighs, vegetable oil, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, chili flakes, sesame seeds, scallions, bell pepper, and green beans.

Your first 2 steps are simple: Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, rinse them with cool water, and make your sauce by combining the hoisin, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili flakes, ginger, and garlic in a bowl.

Once you've prepped your noodles and sauce, heat some oil in your frying pan over medium-high and cooking your chicken until it's tender and nicely browned. Not a big chicken person? "You could absolutely swap for pork, shrimp, or tofu if desired here," Brookes says.

Set your cooked chicken aside, then add some more oil to that same pan. Throw in the sliced bell pepper and green beans and toss over high heat until a bit charred. Turn the heat down, then put the sauce and noodles in with the veggies and give everything a good mix.

Now that everything's cooked, toss your chicken back in the pan so it gets as hot as the rest of the components. Garnish the dish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions, and it's time to enjoy your hoisin garlic noodles! "Leftovers should keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days and can be reheated in the microwave," Brookes says, in case you end up with extra. However, these noodles are so easy to make and so packed with flavor, it may be hard to resist polishing them off entirely.