The 4-Ingredient Scallion Pasta I Make On Repeat

There are some recipes that after making them just once, tend to stick with you for years to come. My friend Xueci’s scallion oil noodles is one of my favorite examples. I’ve been making her easy recipe for years and love how it uses a simple technique to extract as much flavor as possible from a single, humble ingredient: the scallion. 

Scallion oil noodles, or cong you ban mian, are a classic Shanghainese dish eaten all over China. It’s super simple, usually consisting of six ingredients: scallions, vegetable oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and thin wheat noodles, sometimes topped with crisped ground pork.

Xueci’s version was my first experience with the dish. Unlike some other traditional recipes, she slowly coaxes flavor out of the scallions by frying them gently over low heat until they’re tender all the way through, then finishes cooking them in the sauce, rather than frying them quickly until crispy and browned and removing them from the pan. I find this method both easier for the home cook and even more richly flavored, so this is the way I always make this dish.

Making Scallion Oil Noodles with Pasta

One night I was preparing Xueci’s recipe and had the scallions gently frying in the oil and my pot of water boiling and ready. When I went to grab a package of Chinese wheat noodles, I realized with horror that the only noodle I had in my pantry was half a box of spaghetti. I was conflicted, but didn’t really have a choice, so I cooked the pasta and tossed it with the scallion oil as per usual, hoping for the best.

It was a choice I’m glad I made, as the spaghetti—while quite different in texture and shape than the Chinese wheat noodles the traditional recipe calls for—was equally delicious. Now, I’ll often use Italian pasta with the scallion oil, as it’s easier for me to source at my local supermarket.

A Note on Soy Sauce

Many recipes for scallion oil noodles call for two types of Chinese soy sauce: light and dark. While I have the space in my fridge for many Chinese cooking basics, including both light and dark Chinese soy sauce, I know that isn’t the case for everyone.

So, for this recipe, I decided to use just one soy sauce, and opted for Kikkoman, a Japanese brand of soy sauce that’s not only very common in American grocery stores, but also falls in between Chinese light and dark soy sauces on the flavor spectrum.

That said, I’ve made and tested this recipe with a few different soy sauces, and feel confident that as long as your soy sauce is on the thinner side and isn’t too intense on its own, you should be fine to use it here.

How To Make My 4-Ingredient Scallion Oil Pasta

To make four servings, you’ll need:

• Salt for pasta water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 10 scallions (about 5 ounces), ends trimmed, sliced into 1-inch lengths, white and green parts separated
• 2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce or 1 tablespoon each Chinese light and dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 pound dried pasta (I especially like spaghetti, linguine or pappardelle)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the pasta. Meanwhile, add the oil and the scallion whites to a small frying pan and set over low heat. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the whites are softened and starting to turn brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the scallion greens and fry gently until all the scallions are tender and browned, another 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sugar and let it bubble up and cook, stirring to combine until the bubbling subsides, another minute or two. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cook the pasta in the salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, then pour the scallion oil mixture over the top and toss to combine. Once completely coated and evenly mixed, serve immediately.

Easy Tweaks

I personally love this recipe as is—no toppings or mix-ins in sight—but if you want to get more protein or make it a bit heartier, here’s what I would recommend: