Soy Sauce Noodles With Cabbage and Fried Eggs

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published January 29, 2023

  • Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(2,727)
Comments
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This version of soy sauce noodles, an iconic Cantonese dish commonly enjoyed for breakfast or lunch at dim sum, is hearty enough for dinner, too. While the traditional dish features bean sprouts and often garlic chives, this recipe uses cabbage, which provides a lovely textural crunch, and plenty of scallions for an aromatic punch. The soy sauce seasoning is a simple mix of regular and dark soy sauce (or lăochōu in Cantonese). It gives the noodles its signature deep color. If you can’t find dark soy sauce, tamari works well, too. This dish is traditionally made with thin egg noodles, but in a pinch, any dried wheat noodles will do the job.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE NOODLES

  • Kosher salt

  • 7 ounces dried (or 16 ounces fresh) thin egg noodles

  • Neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed

  • 4 large eggs

  • ½ small green cabbage (1 ½ pounds), core removed then thinly sliced

  • 1 bunch scallions (about 8 stems), white and green parts separated and cut into 2-inch segments

  • White pepper

  • Toasted white sesame seeds, optional

FOR THE SOY SAUCE SEASONING

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (or tamari)

  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

51 grams carbs; 228 milligrams cholesterol; 807 calories; 35 grams monosaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 61 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 995 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and stir to loosen them up. Cook, according to package instructions until just tender, then rinse under running water until cold. Drain and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Make the seasoning: Mix together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil along with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Finish the noodles: Heat a wok or large well-seasoned cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high. When hot, add a drizzle of oil and crack in the eggs, adding however many will comfortably fit in your pan; you may need to work in batches. Reduce the heat to medium and fry until the edges are frizzled, the whites are set and the yolk is cooked to your liking. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove and repeat with the remaining eggs. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the cabbage and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss the cabbage until it has softened and reduced significantly in size, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white part of the scallions and toss for 2 minutes until they have softened. Add the noodles and soy sauce seasoning, and toss for 2 minutes until well coated. Add the green parts of scallions and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until wilted. Turn off the heat and add ½ teaspoon of white pepper.

  5. Step 5

    To serve, place noodles in serving bowls and top with toasted sesame seeds, if using, and a fried egg.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,727 user ratings
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Comments

Robert

My grandmother came right over to the US from Canton (Guanzhou) and used to make a noodle dish just like this except she used sai fun, which are clear noodles made from mung beans. As I recall, she just made a depression in the middle of the noodles near the end and scrambled the eggs in the hollowed out area in the pan. Cold egg concerns solved. Also gluten-free, now that I think about it.

Julia

This looks delicious, but I'm confused by the order. Wouldn't my fried eggs end up cold on top after waiting to cook the cabbage? Any reason not to swap steps 3 and 4? Or add another pan to fry the eggs? I'd love tips from people who have tried this recipe. Thank you!

Blork

People are asking why the recipe cooks the eggs first. I think that’s just to keep this to a quick one-pan meal. Cook with two pans if you like; you won’t be arrested! And no, the eggs won’t get cold in 9 minutes unless you put them on an ice cold plate. Tip: warm a plate under hot water for a minute while the eggs are cooking. Dry the plate and put the eggs on it. This will keep them warm enough while you finish the noodles.

Persimmon

Seems to be a newish thing in NYT Cooking: A fried egg on top of a vegetable dish. It turns me off because I don't like fried eggs at all. Always looks like an easy way out of fixing up a vegetable to look like a meal. Any ideas except scrambling eggs and adding them to the top instead.

Seems to be a thing niw in NYT Cooking: A fried egg on top of a vegetable dish. It turns me off because I don't like fried eggs at all.

shredded chicken Scrambled eggs

jp inframan

I agree with Julia's comment from 3 years ago. The recipe ingredients look inviting, but the order of the instructions makes little sense. I will try reversing steps 3 & 4 and cooking eggs separately. Can't believe no one ever updated this.

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