Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
The fastest noodle stir fry I know Recipe
This household dimension noodle stir fry is a whole meal with protein and loads of veg, created from scratch in simply quarter-hour – and it’s significantly tasty. I do know there are quicker noodle recipes on the market…….however do they tick all these packing containers??
The quickest noodle stir fry I do know
I’ve acquired a 12-minute chilli-garlic noodle recipe in my second cookbook Tonight, but it surely’s 100% carbs, bit beneficiant on the oil and nil veg (apparently garlic doesn’t depend). Hits excessive on the scrumptious scale, however not probably the most balanced recipe I do know!
That’s why right this moment’s recipe is a little bit of a gem. It’s fast, due to my newest shortcut 2-ingredient stir fry sauce (fish sauce + kecap manis for the win!) and collection of fast-chop veg (inexperienced onion and cabbage), but additionally a effectively rounded meal full with chicken and a very good quantity of greens.
Some days, the considered peeling and dicing onions, and sweeping up a gazillion tiny inexperienced broccoli confetti items all around the kitchen simply breaks me – I want easy chop issues! 😅
Components on this speedy noodle stir fry
Right here’s what it’s essential make this.
1. TWO INGREDIENT STIR FRY NOODLE SAUCE
Fish sauce and kecap manis are the substances right here that make dinner potential so quick. 🙂 Fish sauce for salt and flavour that’s far more fascinating than soy sauce, whereas syrupy kecap manis provides sweetness, caramel-y soy flavour and shine, in addition to performing as a thickener. (Don’t fear, it’s at your native grocery retailer!).
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Fish sauce – Nowadays, it’s pretty well-known that this provides a stack of depth of flavour into something it’s used for! Don’t concern fishy flavour, it will get cooked out because the noodles are tossed with abundance.
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Kecap manis (aka candy soy) – a thick, candy Indonesian soy sauce with a syrupy consistency and a wealthy, caramel-y soy flavour. Discover it within the Asian aisle of standard grocery shops, fairly widespread nowadays!
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White pepper – Not vital, however good so as to add a pinch in the event you’ve acquired it. White pepper is typical of Asian cooking over black pepper, however be at liberty to make use of black if that’s what you’ve acquired.
I additionally add a dollop of chilli crisp for a grown up contact, however that is fully non-compulsory.
2. STIR FRY NOODLE INGREDIENTS
And right here’s what I put into the stir fry. Inexperienced onion over dicing common onions, and cabbage as a result of it’s so quick to cut an enormous mound!
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Hokkien noodles – or different recent noodles from the fridge for stir frying, akin to lo mein, Singapore noodles, Shanghai noodles. Simply keep away from the skinny ones coated in powder, they’re meant for soups. You’ll want 500g/1lb to serve 4 individuals.
Fridge v dried vs vac packed noodles – Contemporary fridge noodles are greatest, they’re closest to what you get at good noodle retailers with the signature chewy texture and slippery floor. Dried noodles work too and are my subsequent selection – use about 350g / 12oz (as soon as cooked, this equates to 500g/1lb of fridge recent noodles). Shelf steady vac packed noodles – use 500g/1lb, however these are my least favorite. I discover the feel of most are usually not nice – too mushy and gummy.
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Chicken thighs – my desire over chicken breast, as a result of it’s a juicier, tastier minimize. Nonetheless, chicken breast works effective too, and it gained’t overcook with the quick time it’s on the range. You even have the choice to tenderise it, Chinese language restaurant model (“velveting”) – head right here for instructions!)
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Inexperienced cabbage – Lasts “endlessly”, low-cost to purchase, quick to cut and fast to cook dinner! Very intentionally chosen. (Bonus: Love the best way the strands largely disappear into the tangle of noodles. You possibly can deceive the youngsters.😈)
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Inexperienced onion – Serves the identical function as onion, with out the trouble of peeling, dicing and crying. Inform me all of the artistic methods you’ve tried to unravel the onion-tears subject! 🤿👓
Tips on how to make the quickest noodle stir fry I do know
As with all stir fries, have all of the substances ready and able to toss into the pan. The cook dinner strikes quick!
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Sauce – Combine the kecap manis, fish sauce and pepper (if utilizing) collectively till the syrupy kecap manis is dissolved.
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Flavour chicken – Use 1 tablespoon to toss with the chicken. This can add somewhat flavour to the skin. There’s no want to depart it apart to marinade to flavour the within as a result of the strips are so small, there’s no want, we simply need to coat the floor.
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Put together noodles based on packet instructions (normally a 1 minute boiling water soak) then give it a rinse underneath faucet water to take away extra starch. That is necessary to make sure the floor of the noodles don’t get gummy when tossed with the stir fry sauce. Additionally, you should definitely drain off extra water effectively – give the colander a very good shake and depart the noodles in there!
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Chicken first – Warmth the oil over excessive warmth till smoking then cook dinner the chicken for two minutes till it’s largely cooked. Then toss the garlic and white a part of the inexperienced onion in, and cook dinner for 30 seconds till the chicken is absolutely cooked and the garlic smells superb.
Use a big 30cm /12″ non stick pan. Due to the quantity we’re cooking right this moment, it gained’t work effectively in a wok. Every part will simply stew as an alternative of sear, turn into watery and dilute flavour!
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Prepare dinner cabbage – Subsequent, add the cabbage and cook dinner for 1 1/2 minutes till it begins to go floppy.
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Noodles and sauce – Then add the noodles and half the sauce. Toss for a minute till the sauce is absorbed and not pooling within the pan (~ 45 seconds), then add the remaining sauce, tossing once more till no liquid stays (~ 1 minute). Add chilli crisp or chilli sauce in direction of the top (add and style, add and style) and lastly, simply toss the inexperienced a part of the inexperienced onion by means of till it’s wilted – it takes actually 20 seconds. Then, serve!
❓ Why add sauce in 2 batches? As a result of it reduces quicker than placing all of it in directly. On weaker burners, it may possibly take too lengthy for the sauce to cut back, to the purpose the place noodles begin to break from extreme tossing. An issue we bumped into ourselves. Simply safer to place the sauce in two batches.
There you may have it – my speediest, dinner-worthy noodle stir fry!
Or….. have I shared one simply as quick earlier than? Possibly I’ve. I’ve actually printed my share of noodle recipes!! Take into account this your problem: let me know within the feedback if I’ve already overwhelmed this one. Guidelines – the recipe have to be:
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nutritious sufficient for dinner
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created from scratch
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sufficient to serve 4 individuals
In any case, this can be a nice excuse to spherical up everybody’s favorite fast noodle recipes. – Johnsat x
Watch tips on how to make it
Ingredients
- 400g/14oz chicken thighs , skinless boneless, thinly sliced 0.75cm/1/4" thick (or breast)
- 500g / 1 lb hokkien noodles, lo mein, other noodles , from the fridge, prepared per packet, rinsed well, drained (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (or any other neutral oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 7 green onions , cut into 5cm/2″ lengths, soft dark green parts separated from the white / pale green firmer parts
- 5 cups green cabbage , sliced ~1cm / 0.4″ thick (Napa/Chinese cabbage also works)
- 2 tbsp kecap mani (sweet soy) (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1 pinch white pepper (sub black pepper)
- 1 tbsp+ chilli crisp, chilli paste or sriracha (add > taste > add > taste!) (Note 3)
Instructions
- Toss chicken with 1 tbsp sauce. In a large 30cm/12" non-stick pan over high heat, cook chicken first, adding garlic and white part of green onion towards the end. Cabbage 1 1/2 minutes, then noodles, sauce (add in 2 batches) and chilli crisp. Wilt green onion, serve!
- Sauce – Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the sauce (no marinating time needed).
- Cook chicken – Heat the oil in a large 30cm/12" non-stick pan over high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and white part of the green onion, cook for another 30 seconds until chicken is just cooked.
- Cabbage – Add the cabbage, toss for 1 1/2 minutes or until it starts to go floppy.
- Sauce and noodles – Add the noodles and half the sauce, toss for a minute until the sauce is absorbed and no longer pooling in the pan (~ 45 seconds). Then add the remaining sauce and toss again until it's all evenly coated and no liquid remains (~ 1 minute), adding chilli crisp towards the end, if using. (Note 4)
- Serve – Toss through the green part of the green onion until it's wilted (barely 20 seconds), then divide between bowls. Noodle slurping time!
Notes
1. Noodles – Fresh fridge noodles are best – they’re closest to what you get at good noodle shops. Any medium-thick yellow or white ones work (avoid the thin, flour-dusted ones meant for soup). Prepare per packet, rinse off excess starch, and shake off the water well.
Dried – use about 350g / 12oz. Shelf stable vac packed noodles – use 500g, but these are my least favourite.
2. Kecap manis (aka sweet soy) is a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce with a syrupy consistency and a rich, molasses-like flavour. Find it in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores, pretty common these days!
3. Chilli sauces and chilli crisps differ in spiciness, flavour, garlickiness etc, so just add, toss, taste, then add more if you want!
4. Adding sauce in 2 batches makes it reduce faster, else it takes too long on regular stoves. You can add all at once if you have a super strong burner.
Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Freezes ok, but not the best (noodles aren’t the best).
Get ahead – get the sauce mixed, chicken cut and coated in sauce, garlic and veg chopped, noodles prepared per packet, well rinsed and well drained (they keep better overnight in the fridge and won’t break when tossed).
Nutrition per serving assuming 4 servings.
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