Scallion oil noodles
葱油拌面
Shanghai weeknight noodles — spring onion fried in oil until sweet, tossed with soy. Almost nothing, if you do it right.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 葱油拌面.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Cong you ban mian is wheat noodles tossed with oil that has fried a pile of spring onion until it is brown and jammy, plus soy. The onion oil is the recipe. If you burn it, start the oil again. This is not a stir-fry with vegetables piled on.
Ingredients
- Wheat noodles250 g
- Spring onion6
- Neutral oil59 ml
- Soy sauce30 ml
- Sugar2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Fry spring onion in oil over medium-low until deeply gold and sweet, 8–10 minutes. Do not blacken.
10 minStep 2
Boil noodles. Toss with the oil, the onions, soy and sugar.
6 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Wheat noodles → Spaghetti
Emergency. Still onion oil.
Tips
- A splash of the noodle water loosens the toss.
- Light and dark soy together is the Shanghai colour if you have both.
History & culture
Shanghai and Jiangnan home lunch. Also the bowl you make when the fridge is empty.
Oil-and-onion noodles are Jiangnan everyday food that the internet turned into a 'hack'. It was already a dish.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: HanWei's EXP from (optional) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shanghai%20oil%20noodle.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Scallion oil noodles take?
25 min all in — 10 min prep, 15 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 2 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 2 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much soy sauce?
2 tbsp of Soy sauce.
How much sugar?
½ tsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Wheat noodles → Spaghetti. Emergency. Still onion oil.
Any tips from this recipe?
A splash of the noodle water loosens the toss. Light and dark soy together is the Shanghai colour if you have both.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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