This family size noodle stir fry is a complete meal with protein and plenty of veg, made from scratch in just 15 minutes – and it’s seriously tasty. I know there are faster noodle recipes out there…….but do they tick all those boxes??
The fastest noodle stir fry I know
I’ve got a 12-minute chilli-garlic noodle recipe in my second cookbook Tonight, but it’s 100% carbs, bit generous on the oil and zero veg (apparently garlic doesn’t count). Hits high on the delicious scale, but not the most balanced recipe I know!
That’s why today’s recipe is a bit of a gem. It’s quick, thanks to my latest shortcut 2-ingredient stir fry sauce (fish sauce + kecap manis for the win!) and selection of fast-chop veg (green onion and cabbage), but also a well rounded meal complete with chicken and a good amount of vegetables.
Some days, the thought of peeling and dicing onions, and sweeping up a gazillion tiny green broccoli confetti pieces all over the kitchen just breaks me – I need simple chop things! 😅
Ingredients in this speedy noodle stir fry
Here’s what you need to make this.
1. TWO INGREDIENT STIR FRY NOODLE SAUCE
Fish sauce and kecap manis are the ingredients here that make dinner possible so fast. 🙂 Fish sauce for salt and flavour that’s way more interesting than soy sauce, while syrupy kecap manis adds sweetness, caramel-y soy flavour and shine, as well as acting as a thickener. (Don’t worry, it’s at your local grocery store!).
Fish sauce – These days, it’s fairly well known that this adds a stack of depth of flavour into anything it’s used for! Don’t fear fishy flavour, it gets cooked out as the noodles are tossed with abundance.
Kecap manis (aka sweet soy) – a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce with a syrupy consistency and a rich, caramel-y soy flavour. Find it in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores, pretty common these days!
White pepper – Not critical, but nice to add a pinch if you’ve got it. White pepper is typical of Asian cooking over black pepper, but feel free to use black if that’s what you’ve got.
I also add a dollop of chilli crisp for a grown up touch, but this is entirely optional.
2. STIR FRY NOODLE INGREDIENTS
And here’s what I put into the stir fry. Green onion over dicing regular onions, and cabbage because it’s so fast to chop a huge mound!
Hokkien noodles – or other fresh noodles from the fridge for stir frying, such as lo mein, Singapore noodles, Shanghai noodles. Just avoid the thin ones coated in powder, they’re intended for soups. You’ll need 500g/1lb to serve 4 people.
Fridge v dried vs vac packed noodles – Fresh fridge noodles are best, they’re closest to what you get at good noodle shops with the signature chewy texture and slippery surface. Dried noodles work too and are my next choice – use about 350g / 12oz (once cooked, this equates to 500g/1lb of fridge fresh noodles). Shelf stable vac packed noodles – use 500g/1lb, but these are my least favourite. I find the texture of most are not great – too mushy and gummy.
Chicken thighs – my preference over chicken breast, because it’s a juicier, tastier cut. However, chicken breast works fine too, and it won’t overcook with the short time it’s on the stove. You also have the option to tenderise it, Chinese restaurant style (“velveting”) – head here for directions!)
Green cabbage – Lasts “forever”, cheap to buy, fast to chop and quick to cook! Very deliberately chosen. (Bonus: Love the way the strands mostly disappear into the tangle of noodles. You can lie to the kids.😈)
Green onion – Serves the same purpose as onion, without the effort of peeling, dicing and crying. Tell me all the creative ways you’ve tried to solve the onion-tears issue! 🤿👓
How to make the fastest noodle stir fry I know
As with all stir fries, have all the ingredients prepared and ready to toss into the pan. The cook moves fast!
Sauce – Mix the kecap manis, fish sauce and pepper (if using) together until the syrupy kecap manis is dissolved.
Flavour chicken – Use 1 tablespoon to toss with the chicken. This will add a little flavour to the outside. There’s no need to leave it aside to marinade to flavour the inside because the strips are so small, there’s no need, we just want to coat the surface.
Prepare noodles according to packet directions (usually a 1 minute boiling water soak) then give it a rinse under tap water to remove excess starch. This is important to ensure the surface of the noodles don’t get gummy when tossed with the stir fry sauce. Also, be sure to drain off excess water well – give the colander a good shake and leave the noodles in there!
Chicken first – Heat the oil over high heat until smoking then cook the chicken for 2 minutes until it’s mostly cooked. Then toss the garlic and white part of the green onion in, and cook for 30 seconds until the chicken is fully cooked and the garlic smells amazing.
Use a large 30cm /12″ non stick pan. Because of the volume we’re cooking today, it won’t work well in a wok. Everything will just stew instead of sear, become watery and dilute flavour!
Cook cabbage – Next, add the cabbage and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until it starts to go floppy.
Noodles and sauce – Then 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, tossing again until no liquid remains (~ 1 minute). Add chilli crisp or chilli sauce towards the end (add and taste, add and taste) and lastly, just toss the green part of the green onion through until it’s wilted – it takes literally 20 seconds. Then, serve!
❓ Why add sauce in 2 batches? Because it reduces faster than putting it all in at once. On weaker burners, it can take too long for the sauce to reduce, to the point where noodles start to break from excessive tossing. A problem we ran into ourselves. Just safer to put the sauce in two batches.
There you have it – my speediest, dinner-worthy noodle stir fry!
Or….. have I shared one just as fast before? Maybe I have. I’ve certainly published my share of noodle recipes!! Consider this your challenge: let me know in the comments if I’ve already beaten this one. Rules – the recipe must be:
nutritious enough for dinner
made from scratch
enough to serve 4 people
In any case, this is a great excuse to round up everyone’s favourite quick noodle recipes. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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The fastest noodle stir fry I know – from scratch!
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)
Sauce (just 2 ingredients!):
- 2 tbsp kecap mani (sweet soy) (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1 pinch white pepper (sub black pepper)
Optional grown up touch:
- 1 tbsp+ chilli crisp, chilli paste or sriracha (add > taste > add > taste!) (Note 3)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- 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!
FULL RECIPE:
- Sauce – Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the sauce (no marinating time needed).
Cooking:
- 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!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More speedy dinner-worthy noodles
I have a deep and possibly unhealthy love for noodles – and no plans to change that! Here are some more speedy dinner-worth noodles recipes – and find the full collection here.
Life of Dozer
Who’s the best boi at the beach 🥰 Also realised his life jacket is handy to easily pick him out of a pack of Goldies!!
Hi Nagi,
Winner winner winner!!
Thanks
Thanks Dee!!!
Oh how I can just picture how Dozer must love getting together with his friends to romp & play together.
This recipe looks great. I don’t like onions of any sort – well, they don’t like me – so I’d probably sub frozen string beans in this. When I do really need an onion (I use shallots), I light a candle and place it near the chopping board. It helps diffuse some of the oniony fumes.
Have you tried this with Heart of Palm Linguini noodles? (I love noodles but these are my newest go-to for low carb / low cal substitutes.)
No I haven’t!! Are you in Australia?? I haven’t seen them around – N x
What is your recipe for “chili crisp”? Or, if you were to make it, what would you put in it? Thank you so much!
Hi Christine, have you not met angry auntie? If not, please allow me to allow Nagi to introduce you: https://discountspot.info/chilli-crisp-noodles/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
ANGRY AUNTY!!! It still makes me laugh 🤭
Looks delish. Pretty much the same as your mee goreng?
I rise to your challenge! 🙂
Replace the chicken thighs with mince (any type) and replace the cabbage with a bag of supermarket coleslaw mix.
I’m almost certain that I got this idea from you, but could not tell you exactly which recipe.
Contact lenses is the easiest answer to onion tears! I have been a wearer for many years and never have a problem. although I do realize it is not a universal solution.
must confess I am a contact lens wearer and do not have onion tear problems!!! N xx
oh my goodness look at that wonderful pack of goldens!
I know, right?? Happiness!!! 🙂 N c
How about 12 minute Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles? Feeds four in my opinion—LOL!
That is a good one! I have’t made it in ages 🙂 Let me pop that in the suggested similar recipes section! N x
I made this 2 nights ago when I was looking to cook something quickly with Hokkien noodles not realising it was a new Nagi recipe. Very tasty and certainly quick. I used some chicken breast as I didn’t have thighs. Worked well. Thanks Nagi!
Thank you for the great feedback Vivienne!
I was told if you cut your onion in half leaving the stringy side intact (I don’t know what it is called) and slide vertically through to a little above that end, then cross chop the tears don’t get you. The theory is that the ‘tear’ producing portion is on that intact end. I don’t know if it true but I don’t tear as much since doing it.
Also, I do not have an Asian market anywhere near me. Where would I find Kecap manis or a substitute? Looking forward to trying this one. I love noodle recipes
Hi Mary, You can get Kecap Manis at most supermarkets in the Asian aisle.
I wore contact lenses for many years but have had cataract surgery and don’t need any vision correction – yay! However, the lenses apparently protected my eyes from the dreaded onion tears. Now I just tough it out because I don’t have the luxury of having someone else do it for me. But the one suggestion of using a very sharp knife really does make the job less teary-eyed I’ve found. Hugs to Dozer from the USA.
I am smiling! At times you may make things awfully simply these days but are they different and ‘yours !!! Love the cabbage/green onions stop in the recipe and have used just kecap manis and fish sauce myself, but your ratio is way better! Nearly have a tear in my eye looking at a Dozer SO happy to be back on the beach with his mates . . . all nice, thanks!
Aww thanks Eha! N x
Thanks Eha! Isn’t that sauce perfect?
Hi Nagi,
I’ve found chopping onions under the range hood helps.
Used GF dry flat noodles and it’s lovely! Miss 11 & 6 both enjoyed it too! Next time I’ll toss through some cashews…just because I love cashews in all of my stir fry’s!
Thanks for another fab recipe Nagi ✨
So glad to hear you all enjoyed it! Great idea about cashews, perfect crunchy addition 🙂
Just a super quick pick-up: link missing on ‘You also have the option to tenderise it, Chinese restaurant style (“velveting”) – head here for directions!)’ (under Ingredients!) xo
Yikes! Thank you Susanne. 🙂 Fixed! N x
I have an allergy to onions…all sorts! What could I use instead?
Is there an alternative to fish sauce that can be used?
Looks gorgeous (Dozer. But the recipe too!) My daughter can’t have fish sauce… a key ingredient in this, is there an alternative?
For fish sauce substitute, try Cocomino Fysh Sauce…