Kenji's Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles... With 20 Cloves of Garlic | NYT Cooking

Ingredients

20 cloves garlic fresh, for 4 servings

garlic

1 pinch salt for grinding garlic

salt

4 tbsp butter unsalted

butter

2 tbsp soy sauce

soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

fish sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

oyster sauce

400 grams dry spaghetti or fresh wheat noodles

dry spaghetti

50 grams parmesan cheese grated

parmesan cheese

2 stalks scallions optional, chopped

scallions

50 grams salted preserved fish eggs optional

salted preserved fish eggs

Equipment

skillet

small pot

mortar and pestle

tongs

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a skillet.

Roughly chop the garlic cloves.

Use a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic with a pinch of salt.

Melt butter in a skillet without browning it.

Cook the garlic in the melted butter until softened.

Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce to the skillet.

Cook the garlic and sauces together but avoid browning the garlic.

Cook the spaghetti in the skillet, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Reserve pasta water to adjust the sauce consistency.

Turn off the heat once the pasta is cooked al dente.

Add grated Parmesan cheese and chopped scallions off-heat.

Toss the pasta until the cheese is evenly distributed.

Add any additional Parmesan cheese off-heat.

Ensure the garlic clings to the pasta for a robust flavor.

Add salted fish eggs if using, and serve immediately.