chile oil

In this 20-minute recipe, a mixture of savory condiments coats bowlfuls of wide noodles chilled slightly by a quick rinse in cool water. While you cook the udon, take the time to prepare the sauce, abundant with contrasting flavors, and the fresh herbs. The sauce can be made in advance, but make sure it’s at room temperature before tossing it with the noodles and the cilantro at the last minute. Substitutions are welcome: Swap in chile crisp in place of the chile oil with crunchy garlic, or scallions in place of garlic chives. Sichuan chile oil brings a citrusy flavor that is hard to replicate, so don’t skip it. It can vary in spice level: For a milder sauce, use only the liquid oil, or add Sichuan peppercorns from the bottom of the oil for extra tingle. Fried shallots are here for texture, but omit them if you use chile crisp.

Chile-Oil Noodles With Cilantro

udon noodles

chile oil garlic

sesame oil

Sichuan chile oil,

soy sauce

garlic chives

store-bought fried shallots, crumbled by hand (optional)

cilantro

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook noodles according to package instructions, stirring from time to time to prevent them from sticking. Drain well in a colander, then run noodles under cold water until cooled.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all three oils with the soy sauce and 1/2 cup garlic chives.

Toss cooled noodles into the chile oil mixture. Gently fold in the crumbled fried shallots and chopped cilantro. Divide among four bowls, and top with more garlic chives and cilantro sprigs.

Adapted from Food &amp; Wine 
Notes:

I'm essentially doing 3 times the recipe here, but keeping the seasonings/method mostly the same. 
Chicories: Use what you like, such as a mix of radicchio, Belgian endive, escarole, and frisée.
Chile oil: If you can't find chile oil at a store, you can order it online — I love this one from Temecula Olive Oil Co: Picante Pepper Olive Oil. Food and Wine provides a homemade version here: Homemade Chile Oil. 


Sautéed Endive and Radicchio with Chile Oil

olive oil

lbs pound mixed chicories, see notes above, roughly chopped

garlic cloves, smashed, divided

salt

white balsamic vinegar,

flaky sea salt,

chile oil, see notes above, to taste (optional)

Heat a generous tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add one smashed clove of garlic, one-third of the chicories, and a good pinch of salt. Cook, undisturbed, for 30 seconds. Then, using tongs, toss the greens quickly for another 10 to 20 seconds; then immediately transfer to a large serving bowl. Note: The chicories don&#8217;t have to be uniformly cooked, i.e. it&#8217;s OK if some of the greens are more wilted than others. The contrast in textures is nice. 

Repeat 2 more times, adding more olive oil, garlic, chicories and salt to the pan in the same manner.

Gently toss chicories with the 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Taste. Add sea salt and more vinegar to taste. Note: I always add more of both until it tastes sharp enough and nicely seasoned. Drizzle with chile oil to taste, or pass it on the side — passing on the side is a good option if anyone is sensitive to heat. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

This was such a treat!  I used some frisée from my weekly CSA.  I didn’t have chili oil on hand so I drizzled oil from my jar of    Calabrian chili peppers.  Will definitely make again as it was also so simple to throw together! 

Vietnamese chile lemongrass sate, or tương ớt sa tế is a spicy chile oil that will elevate any dish. This bold sauce gets its flavor from plenty of garlic and fragrant lemongrass.

Vietnamese Chile Lemongrass Sate Sauce (Tương Ớt Sa Tế)

neutral oil (like canola)

garlic,

lemongrass, finely chopped

chile flakes

tsp salt

Heat 1 cup oil on medium low heat

When oil comes to temperature, add lemongrass and let it heat for about 5 minutes

Add garlic and continue to heat for about 10 minutes

Add fresh chiles and stir. Continue to let mixture heat for another 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the ingredients.

Add chile flakes and heat for another 10 minutes

Add salt to taste, and cool before jarring

Add a thin layer of extra oil on top to keep sate fresh longer.

Absolutely love this recipe. We made pho tonight and I used this in it. We will be keeping it on hand for stirfry and a general condiment to spruce up any dish. Thank you.

This is so beautiful!  i love cooking Vietnamese food, but I'm never happy with the sauces in the little bottles, this will be perfect!

I am so excited I found your wonderful blog this recipe is one example of how wonderful your recipes are. I made this the other day and I was totally thrilled with the taste.

Oh yeah! This gorgeous condiment is getting a permanent spot in my fridge and it's going on EVERYTHING. Love the flavors and how easy it is. Thanks for sharing!

Serving as a luscious, umami sauce for pan-fried potstickers, peanut sauce yet again proves itself to be the hero of weeknight cooking. The sauce needs no cooking, just some hot water to soften the peanut butter, which also helps the sauce come together smoothly. By design, it is slightly runnier than usual, allowing it to casually drape over the dumplings. Right after whisking, the sauce may look too loose, but let it sit for a few minutes as it relaxes and thickens into the perfect consistency. Frozen potstickers — which have a flat base for pan-frying — work best, but you could use other types of dumpling too, cooking them according to their package instructions. The cucumbers are smashed and then salted, which not only draws out moisture, but also tenderizes them every so slightly, delivering just the right amount of freshness and crunch. 

Dumpling and Smashed Cucumber Salad With Peanut Sauce 

peanut

garlic clove, finely chopped

rice vinegar

sugar

Persian cucumbers

Salt

Vegetable oil oil

frozen potsticker dumplings (not thawed)

Toasted white sesame seeds

Chile crisp or chile oil,

NYT Cooking

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/29/multimedia/HLM-Dumpling-Salad-With-Cucumbers-and-Peanut-Sauce-fvkt/HLM-Dumpling-Salad-With-Cucumbers-and-Peanut-Sauce-fvkt-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg

Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Greg Lofts.

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/29/multimedia/HLM-Dumpling-Salad-With-Cucumbers-and-Peanut-Sauce-fvkt/HLM-Dumpling-Salad-With-Cucumbers-and-Peanut-Sauce-fvkt-googleFourByThree.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/29/multimedia/HLM-Dumpling-Salad-With-Cucumbers-and-Peanut-Sauce-fvkt/HLM-Dumpling-Salad-With-Cucumbers-and-Peanut-Sauce-fvkt-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg

Prepare the sauce: Place the peanut butter, garlic and hot water into a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. (If the peanut butter separates and looks curdled, that’s OK. It will come back together after you add the other seasonings.) Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chile crisp and whisk again until smooth and well combined. (It may look runny, but it will thicken up as it sits.)

Prepare the salad: Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then into 2-inch lengths. Lay them cut side-down on a cutting board and, using the flat side of a chef’s knife or a rolling pin, smack the cucumbers until they break apart. Tear or cut them into bite-size pieces, if necessary.

Place the cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle with a pinch or 2 of salt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess moisture.

Meanwhile, heat a large (12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, until very hot. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and, working in batches, add the dumplings, flat-side down, and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes.

Carefully add about 1/4 cup of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then immediately cover and cook until the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. (If your dumplings contain meat, cook for an extra 1 to 2 minutes, or according to package instructions.) Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate and continue cooking the remaining dumplings. (If you prefer to steam the dumplings, see Tip.)

To serve, divide the dumplings among 4 plates or shallow bowls and top with the cucumbers. Spoon over a generous amount of peanut sauce, top with cilantro, sesame seeds or peanuts and a few drops of chile crisp/oil. Serve right away, while the dumplings are still warm, or at room temperature.

We've made this several times in the last several months because it is so yum. 
This August, my beautiful wife's garden cucumbers (Mediterranean and Persian) came in and OMG this dish goes to a whole new level with garden fresh cucumbers. 
Also, if we're feeling hungry, I'll try up half a block of firm tofu to add to the dish. 
Finally, a bed of shredded cabbage underneath for some roughage. 
This dish is both "chef's kiss" and fast.

WOW oh WOW is this good!!! I had Trader Joes Thai peanut dressing so I used that instead of making the sauce. Cilantro, scallion and chile crisp finish off so nicely! I will make this again and again!

The bag trick for the cucumbers was super helpful - that would have been a mess lol.
Will try chicken stock instead of water next time!

I forgot to salt and drain the cucumbers, which caused the dish to be more watery than intended. Even if I don’t forget this step next time, I think I’d make the sauce with less water than called for and add more if needed.

I made this with mint and basil, which were terrific and better than what I imagine cilantro would have tasted like. Also, based on comments here I reduced peanut butter to 1/4 cup and added toasted sesame oil. Very good! Super

This is a great recipe! I added some shallots to the salad.

Might be one of my favorite recipes here. Much yummier than I expected! Will make again for sure.

Why didnt I make this sooner??? Ridiculously easy and I loved the sauce. We have peanut allergies so I used tahini and less water (from the comments this seemed the way to go) and this was so delicious! I garnished with chopped scallions. Will definitely make this again. Used frozen Korean vegetable dumplings (tofu inside)

Made a half-recipe, using Bibigo frozen mini chicken and cilantro dumplings from Costco and lightly toasted sesame seeds for the topping. I also followed another reader's advice to use liquid from the draining cucumbers for part of the water, and I raided our stash of recycled bread bags and whatnot for smashing the cukes. This was absolutely delicious, and no, it is not too much sauce! It's the second time I've made this, and it will be on regular rotation year-round.

Not having enough cucumbers for this I added tomatoes per Hetty’s other Fabulous dumpling salad. I thinned the dressing just a tad to go over all but it was grand!

With a few alterations I find this to be a comforting meal. I use Trader Joe's vegetable gyoza. For the sauce I use 1/3 cup water, add ginger, 2 cloves garlic, some black vinegar and 4 tps chili crisp. 
Huge thanks to the person who shared the video about smashing cucumbers; it saved me the mess others were experiencing. Cut them in 1/2 length-wise, push down on the skin side with a knife, then cut. And toss with rice vinegar and soy sauce.

My husband absolutely will not eat cucumbers (no zucchini / summer squash either.) I'm thinking bok choy instead, but wondering if anyone has come up with a great substitute.

It's not hard to make your own dumplings!  I use a food processor to turn a can of water chestnuts, some cilantro, ground pork, garlic and scallions into a filling and assemble with wonton wrappers before steaming, but they are yummy fried too.

This was delicious. I used less water in the sauce as others have recommended and added lime juice and fish sauce. We used mint as our cilantro had rotted and it was great.

I placed the cut cucumbers into a ziplock bag and sealed it before I smashed the cucumbers. It kept them from squirting across the cutting board.

Loved this! The second time I made it, I slightly decreased the peanut butter and added a little drizzle of sesame oil. I cook all of the dumplings at once in a large skillet arranged in concentric circles, just like mom did when I was little; and I used chicken stock instead of water as she did. Addictive.

What a find! Dead easy, delicious, and easy on the budget. And it tastes much more sophisticated than its simple preparation implies. MORE LIKE THIS PLEASE!

The sauce stayed runny, so next time I'll add less water than called for. 

I confess to a couple tweaks. I added fresh corn, and because I prefer vegetable potstickers I added cubed high-protein tofu, tossed with a bit of the sauce and roasted it for a few minutes. 

This was an unusual, tasty way to enjoy summer's cucumbers and corn.

I've finally found a delicious, frozen dumplings/potstickers: Bibigo.  Fantastic dumplings.  I will be using them in this recipe tonight.  Our local grocery stores carry them, as does Wegmans.  Nothing I've ever tried comes even close to these!!!

Does anyone have a favorite Chili Crisp brand?

Delicious! Gave me all the energy I needed to wipe the kitchen floors and walls of all the cucumber guts I shot out in the process. 

Heed that ziploc advice.

@Ken way more fun to chase the pieces around the kitchen floor before the dogs get them

You could try Chinese sesame paste (or use tahini if you want a milder taste); look for anything labeled "zhi ma jiang" at Asian grocery stores or online

Does anyone have a recommendation for frozen potstickers?

@Nancy, I love the momofuku chile crisp.

We prefer Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chile Crisp over all others.

Fly By Jiang is only ordinary and is also ridiculously overpriced. Momofuku's version is okay.

If your family is heat-averse, Trader Joe's Chile Onion Crunch is basically an Americanized chile crisp that's only just barely hot, and it will do in a pinch.

it's a lot easier to 'smash' the cut cucumbers by laying a cutting board over them and then smacking that with a cast iron frying pan or something else heavy

Made this last night, we all loved it. Served it over basmati rice, used Trader Joe's veggie potstickers and Trader Joe's Chili Oil. I halved the chile oil because I'm sensitive to heat. Pretty easy meal, and delicious! Next time I'll add chives and slivered snow peas.

@Ken thank you so much for that suggestion.  I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself!

I have used almond butter in similar recipes - our house is also peanut free

Top 4 chile oil recipes from across the web

The most viewed chile oil recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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Chile-Oil Noodles With Cilantro

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Top 4 chile oil recipes from across the web

The most viewed chile oil recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Chile-Oil Noodles With Cilantro

Sautéed Endive and Radicchio with C...

Vietnamese Chile Lemongrass Sate Sa...

Dumpling and Smashed Cucumber Salad...

The most viewed chile oil recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine