Thanh Long Garlic Noodles with a sprinkling of lumpfish red caviar.
Thanh Long is an upscale Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco, famous for its garlic noodles. That dish is currently $15 at the restaurant ($43 if you add four grilled giant tiger prawns) but we can make it at home for a buck or two. Thanks to Kenji and the folks he credits for sussing out the formula, a happy marriage of garlic+butter+umami. Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 entrée portions.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb dry spaghetti
20 garlic cloves, minced (about 1/3 c)
4 T unsalted butter
2 t oyster sauce
1 t light soy sauce
1 t fish sauce
2 heaping T grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
Seafood add-ins such as fish roe, grilled shrimp, lox (optional)
Method: sauté garlic in butter in a large skillet until it is fragrant but not browned. Mix in the sauces. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a second skillet with just enough water to cover. Cook until it is barely al dente.
Garlic Noodles go great with seafood, like some lox trim.
Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the pan with garlic butter mixture, with tongs or drained but reserving pasta cooking water. Add cheese and toss over high heat until cheese is melted; add a little of the reserved pasta water to make a thick sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions and seafood as desired. Serve immediately.
