Málà noodles are a spicy Sichuan-style noodle dish (“málà” meaning numbing and spicy). This quick and easy version combines peanut butter with maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chilli crisp into a no-cook sauce that is simply tossed with hot noodles to serve. Served with smashed fresh cucumber and cilantro for a great noodle main dish or side.
Málà noodes at a glance …
What is it? Málà noodles are a spicy noodle-lover’s dream! The easy, no-cook, stir-together sauce of peanut butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chilli crisp is simply tossed with hot, boiled noodles, and it’s ready to go. Serve with some smashed mini cucumbers, which are a fresh foil for the spicy noodles.
Why you’ll love it! This delicious noodle dish takes only as long as it takes to boil water and cook the noodles. It is adaptable to a wide variety of noodles, so it’s a great pantry meal. You can easily adjust the spiciness to suit your taste. Enjoy these noodles as a main or as a side dish.
How do you make it? Boil the noodles in a large pot of salted water. While the noodles cook, stir together the sauce ingredients in a large bowl and smash the cucumbers. When the noodles are cooked, drain and add to the bowl with the sauce. Toss to coat well and serve with the cucumbers and come cilantro for garnish.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Noodles – At its simplest, start with any long, wheat noodles you have on hand – Chinese, Taiwanese or eggless dried Italian-type pasta. If you have access to an Asian market, look for broad/thick long noodles with no egg. Look for broad, dried wheat noodles, often labelled as “knife-cut” (dao xiao mian) , “knife-shaved” or “lacy noodles” and may have ruffled edges. The wide ribbons have ruffled edges that hold onto sauces beautifully.
Without access to an Asian market, I found a great option at my local Walmart, with “A-Sha Hakka Noodle Chili (Mala) Sauce” which included both noodles and chili oil. I didn’t use the chili oil, as I was using chili crisp, but if you don’t have chili oil on hand already, it’s a great all-in-one option.
Another wheat noodle option would be thick udon noodles, which should hold the sauce nicely.
If none of those noodles are an option, opt for Italian wheat pasta noodles. Fettuccine (or Fettucce Ricce for a ruffled noodle similar to fettuccine) or long Mafaldine pasta would be great options.
In all cases, a wider (broader) noodle will give the best results. Avoid egg noodles and very fine noodles, as they may result in a gummy sauce.
Peanut butter – I recommend natural peanut butter for the best results. You can use smooth or crunchy natural peanut butter. If natural peanut butter isn’t an option, regular supermarket-style peanut butter will work, but you’ll need to add additional water to the sauce to blend it (see details in the Recipe Card).
Chilli crisp or chilli oil – Chilli crisp is quite easy to find these days in most grocery stores. Look for it in the Asian sauces/condiments aisle. The brand I use is Lao Gan Ma “Spicy Chilli Crisp”. It comes in a jar with a red lid and label. Another brand I see often is Lee Kum Kee “Chiu Chow Style Chilli Crisp Oil”.
You’ll surely find more authentic Sichuan versions of chili crisp at Asian markets, as well. Do note that they are likely to be more “numbing”, so add to the sauce accordingly :)
Alternatively, any chili oil (chilli pepper-infused oil) will work fine here. Look for Chuan Nan chili oil if you have access to an Asian market.
How to make Málà noodles
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Set a large pot of salted water to boil for the noodles. Start the sauce by adding the sesame oil, peanut butter and warm water in a large bowl.
Step 2: Whisk until creamy and smooth.
Step 3: Add the soy sauce and rice vinegar to the bowl.
Step 4: Whisk again until creamy and smooth.
Step 5: This is the brand of chilli crisp I used. (Chili oil is also an option.)
Step 6: Chilli crisp added to the sauce. Adjust the amount added to your taste for spiciness! Stir in and set the sauce aside for now.
Step 7: Using the back of a chef’s knife (or a rolling pin), smash the mini cucumber to break apart.
Step 8: Set aside the cucumber for now.
Step 9: Set the noodles to boil in salted water. Before draining, scoop out some of the noodle-boiling water and set aside.
Step 10: Toss the drained noodles with the sauce until well coated. Add a bit of noodle-cooking water to loosen the sauce, if needed. Serve with the smashed cucumber.
Recipe tips!
- For a main dish, consider adding some tender-crisp steamed green vegetables (bok choy, broccoli etc.) along with the cucumber.
- These noodles are best enjoyed fresh, as the noodles will absorb much of the sauce as they sit in the refrigerator. If you have leftovers, rewarm gently with a splash of hot water to loosen the noodles.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Seasons and Suppers.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Get the Recipe: Quick Málà (Spicy) Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, or regular sesame oil
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy *see Note 1 below
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons warm water
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce, low-sodium recommended
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, dark Grade B or Dark Amber syrup recommended, or honey
- 1 – 2 1/2 Tablespoons stirred chili oil or chili crisp, adjust amount to your spice-tolerance
- 1 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 8 oz dried wheat noodles, *see Note 2 below for some noodle recommendations
For topping:
- 1 mini cucumber
- fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil for the noodles.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1/4 cup natural peanut butter and 2 1/2 Tablespoons warm water until smooth. Add the 1 1/2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce and 2 Tablespoons maple syrup. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the 1 – 2 1/2 Tablespoons stirred chili oil or chili crisp and 1 cloves garlic. Set aside.
- Using the side of a chef's knife or a rolling pin, smack the 1 mini cucumber to break it up, then chop it into rough chunks. Chop some fresh cilantro as well and set it aside.
- When the water is boiling, salt the water and add the 8 oz dried wheat noodles and cook according to the package instructions, until tender. Just before draining, scoop out 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve.
- Drain the noodles well, then add to the sauce and toss to coat, loosening with a little bit of the reserved pasta water, if needed.
- Divide noodles between 2 bowls and top each with some smashed cucumber and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Food and Drink magazine.
More spicy noodle recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
