Chinese Chili and Scallion Noodles

Every cook needs a few back-pocket recipes that can be thrown together quickly from pantry staples. Think spaghetti carbonara, the Italian pasta dish of bacon and eggs. Or Fuchsia Dunlop’s game-changing “midnight noodles,” a fresh spin on a Chinese staple. The simple sauce comes together in the time it takes the noodles to cook. Our version swaps out some of the hard-to-find Chinese ingredients and creates a simple chili oil that can be adjusted to taste. We cooked scallion whites in the hot oil to soften their bite and used the milder green parts to add brightness at the end. While we preferred udon noodles, chewy Chinese wheat noodles such as lo mein were fine substitutes. Even spaghetti worked in a pinch. These noodles also are great topped with a fried egg.