Hot Chili Oil Noodles With Kale Chips

In this twenty-minute recipe, rice noodles are tossed with a sizzling chili oil that coats each strand with slippery, savory perfection and then are topped with crispy kale chips that wilt slightly under the weight of the pasta. There is an incredible Asian market about half an hour away from me that I like to visit every other month to stock up on my favorite Asian ingredients like sambal oelek chile paste, rice wine vinegar, noodles, and of course soy sauce, but you can find these ingredients at most grocery stores now. On a chilly, windy autumn day there isn’t much better than sitting down with this bowl of noodles resting in my lap in the family room and watching episodes of Parenthood that I’ve seen a thousand times before – Kat Ashmore

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Ingredients

• 6 cups packed curly kale
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 14 ounces dried rice noodles
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek (or any
• garlic chili sauce)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 green onions, white and green
• parts, sliced thin, for serving

Directions

1. Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
2. Remove the kale ribs and discard. Rinse and pat dry the kale leaves and tear into 2-inch pieces. In a large bowl toss the kale, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the olive oil to coat. Divide the mixture evenly between two rimmed baking sheets and roast, tossing with a spatula and rotating baking sheets halfway through, until the kale is crisp and browned, 10 to 14 minutes.
3. While the kale chips are cooking, cook the noodles in a large pot of heavily salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain with a colander and rinse immediately under cold running water. Shake off any residual water and set the noodles aside.
4. To make the sauce, whisk together the garlic, sambal oelek, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar in a large bowl (one large enough to fit the noodles and kale).
5. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until tiny bubbles appear, then immediately pour it over the sauce in the large bowl and whisk it in quickly.
6. Dump in the noodles and the kale and mix well.  Serve in bowls, with green onions, and with Netflix.

Excerpted from BIG BITES: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun by Kat Ashmore. Copyright © 2024 by Kat Ashmore. Photo copyright © 2024 by Christine Han photography. Published by Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.