Chili Oil Pasta

Name: Chili Oil Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Ingredients: 12 oz spaghetti or linguine; 1/4 cup chili oil; 8 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp rice vinegar; 2 tsp sesame oil; to taste salt; to taste black pepper; 4 scallions, sliced; 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Silky pasta coated in fragrant chili oil with garlic and red pepper flakes. A trending viral dish that's spicy, aromatic, and addictively good.

22 minEasyServes 4380 cal/serving

Chinese-AmericanDinnerStovetopVegetarian

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

12 oz spaghetti or linguine
1/4 cup chili oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
to taste salt
to taste black pepper
4 scallions, sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 12 oz spaghetti or linguine according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
2

While pasta cooks, heat 1/4 cup chili oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3

Add 8 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to the chili oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and the garlic is golden, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
4

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the chili oil mixture.
5

Drizzle in 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, and 2 tsp sesame oil. Toss the pasta to coat evenly.
6

If the pasta seems dry, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce lightly coats the noodles.
7

Season with to taste salt and to taste black pepper to taste.
8

Transfer to a serving bowl and top with 4 sliced scallions and 2 tbsp sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

Vegetarian Dinners 30 recipes in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

Why save the pasta water for Chili Oil Pasta?

Step 1 reads: "Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta." The water is full of starch. Added back as step 1 directs, it emulsifies the sauce so it clings to the pasta instead of pooling in the bowl.

Is there a substitute for rice vinegar in Chili Oil Pasta?

The entry for Chili Oil Pasta calls for 2 tsp rice vinegar. In its place: Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, softened with a pinch of sugar, is close. Avoid plain distilled vinegar at full strength, which is much sharper.

Can I make Chili Oil Pasta less spicy?

Yes. The heat in Chili Oil Pasta comes from 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. For a milder plate, halve the pepper flakes; nothing else in the method changes.

Can I make Chili Oil Pasta gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Chili Oil Pasta is 12 oz spaghetti or linguine, 2 tbsp soy sauce. Swap the pasta for a gluten-free one, cooked a minute short of its package time; the soy-based sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Everything else proceeds as written.

Does Chili Oil Pasta contain sesame?

Yes: 2 tsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp sesame seeds. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten, soy and sesame. Seeds used as a garnish can simply be left off; the oil has no true substitute. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How long does Chili Oil Pasta keep?

Refrigerate what is left of Chili Oil Pasta within two hours and eat it within three days. Reheat gently on the stovetop. The grain firms up as it chills; add a spoonful of water before reheating. It also freezes well for up to three months.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.