A Spicy Noodle Cake. I will eat it on a plate. I will eat it on a date. I will eat it out of hand. And I will eat it made of sand. I will eat it in a box. And I will eat it with a fox. And I will eat it in a house. And I will eat it with a mouse. I could eat it here and there. Say! I could eat it ANYWHERE.
I’ve reverted to Dr. Seuss (almost) to make a point. A point I don’t want you to miss. May I have a drum-roll, please…
This is the closest I’ll probably EVER come on this blog to making kid food. Still, I’m not quite sure it counts as a “healthy snack for kids” or not. You may even have to pull back on the sambal oelek (or not?). But I promise you, your kids will gobble this spicy noodle cake up.
Well, not that I’m an expert, but this is the kind of food I gobbled up as a kid. So much so that to this day whenever I’m faced with extra noodles of any kind, I turn them into a spicy noodle cake. Well, maybe not always a spicy noodle cake. Sometimes I make a cheesy noodle cake.
Spicy Noodle Cake
Today’s version has an Asian vibe so I used Chinese lo mein noodles. That’s because I came across another noodle cake lover in Jean-Georges Vongerichten recently. I’ve probably had his cookbook Jean-Georges since 1998 and never noticed he had a spicy noodle cake recipe in there too.
One cake, Two cake, Hot cake, Mild cake,
Black cake, Blue cake, Old cake, New cake.
It might just please you oodles,
This one’s one made of noodles.
GREG
Ingredients
- 9 ounces fresh, uncooked lo mein noodles (egg noodles, preferably not dried)
- ¼ cup minced fresh Thai Basil (can substitute any basil you like)
- 2 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoon sambal oelek (optional, or to taste)
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- 1 pinch each kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoon peanut or canola oil (plus more as needed)
- Sriracha sauce (optional)
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the noodles and cook until softened and pliable, about 2 or 3 minutes for fresh (longer for dried). Drain, rinse in cold water, then drain again well.
Toss the noodles with the Thai basil, chives, sambal oelek, egg, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Line the bottom of a heavy 10-inch cast-iron skillet with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil shimmers, add the noodle mix. Spread it evenly across the bottom of the skillet and press it down a little with your hands or the back of a spatula.
Cook for about 1 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the cake is holding together and is nicely browned on the bottom, at least 3 more minutes. Flip the noodle cake onto a plate, add a little more oil if needed, and slide the noodle cake back into skillet browned side up. Cook on the other side until nicely browned (it’s ok to use a wide flat spatula to peek). Carefully remove the noodle cake to a cutting board and cut into 6 or 8 slices.
Serve hot or at room temperature with Sriracha sauce on the side if using.
I want to eat this. (And that’s it, b/c I’m not as clever as you!) 🙂
Pinned it. I think this is a fantastic idea and I have never tried it. Seems like this would be a great base to the chicken I’m cooking today which is slathered with a compound butter with.…you guessed it, sambal oelek, thai, cilantro, and ginger.
If only I could get my kids to eat spicy food! More for me, though! Thanks for the great recipe.
these noodle cakes look amazing. never eaten something like this before, i definitely need to make the recipe!
Any recipe that adds to the “browned, crispy bits” ratio of a pasta dish is gonna be a winner in my book.
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is recipes to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are contests to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that cake
will make you the winning-est winner for goodness sake.
Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you bake on TV.
Hilariously well done! GREG
This looks amazing! I wish I gobbled this stuff up as a kid
This looks so good, very similar to a Persian baked spaghetti dish! love the poetry 🙂
Screw the kids, I’m making one of these for ME!
Call it kid food it you like, but I’d sure eat your noodle cakes. Love the Thai flavors.
I wish my mother had fed me this when I was a kid. Lucky you! When we first moved to Tucson, w head a noodle cake with saffron mayo on the side. Might do that with your recipe! Gorgeous shots!
Hey, you definitely have some cookie and cake recipes here, and I have never known a kid to turn down either of those! This noodle cake sounds excellent for a spicy snack, for either kids or adults. You’re probably right about reducing the sambal though. I recall making a batch of mac & cheese (real sauce mornay style, not from a box) and the kids in the audience wouldn’t eat it because we’d used ordinary black pepper to spice!