Quick Asian Garlic Noodles with Shrimp

These quick Asian garlic noodles are packed with garlicky flavor, jumbo shrimp and come together quickly for a take-out style dish at home.

Years ago, I sat across from my now-late husband David in a little restaurant off the edge of the pier in San Francisco. We had driven around the city in a mad dash to beat the traffic and wound up stopping at a shabby little place as it was the only area we could find parking. The busy city square was humming with cars and foot traffic that made you claustrophobic to walk through.

Taking a break from the buzz of the city, we both dined on probably the best garlic noodles either of us had tasted before. The simplicity of the dish and the flavor are what stood out most. The garlicky sauce and fresh egg noodles seemed to be a very popular dish. As I gazed around the dining room, it seemed we were all there to dine on them. Some were made with chicken, even Dungeness crab while others were simply made vegetarian. Adapting our variation of Asian noodle recipes at home, my protein of choice remains jumbo shrimp. 

This dish is not only a quick weeknight meal but one that has now become an original recipe of its own. For me, it holds one of life’s sweet memories I secretly relive each time I make them. 

Asian Garlic Noodles Are…

• An easy garlic noodle recipe that doesn’t take a long time to make. 
• Can be made with spaghetti noodles or yakisoba noodles from the Asian market.
• ​A noodle dish with lots of garlic for all the garlic lovers out there like myself.
• A recipe adapted from an Asian dish I shared at one of the local restaurants in San Francisco.
• An  Asian noodles dish that is also a healthy recipe perfect for a quick lunch.

Ingredients

Shrimp- Use jumbo shrimp that is raw not precooked. You can choose to leave the tail-on for presentation or remove the tails prior to cooking.

Pasta- The kind of noodles you use matters. I like to use spaghetti-style pasta for this dish. They work well and are easy to find. To keep things more on the authentic side you can use soba noodles or even ramen noodles. If using ramen noodles, I suggest cooking them al dente as they can become mush pretty quickly when overcooked. 

Mushrooms- I use standard button mushrooms but cremini mushrooms and Portobello mushrooms are also delicious in this.

Celery- Provides a nice subtle flavor and texture to the noodles.

Sesame Seeds- A great way to finish this dish and add a touch of toasted flavor and texture.

Cornstarch- Helps the thicken the sauce, don’t skip it.

Soy Sauce- I like to use low-sodium soy sauce for this recipe with the amount of soy sauce needed for the dish. Using standard might result in an overly salty dish.

Cabbage- I use standard green cabbage for this dish. It cooks up well and maintains a nice texture.

Sesame Oil- Sesame oil adds a nice depth of flavor to the sauce and helps coat the noodles.

Ginger- I like using ground ginger for this as it distributes easily within the dish. You can also use fresh ginger if you have that on hand. Chop it finely like the garlic if using fresh.

Butter- Added to sauté the veggies. I use salted butter but you can use unsalted.

Garlic- Use fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped. I use large cloves to ensure the noodles are extra garlicky.

Pasta Water- Saving a bit of the pasta water helps create a sauce for the garlic noodles.

Pepper- I like to use freshly cracked black pepper for this but standard ground pepper is fine.

Directions

Begin by prepping the ingredients. This pasta comes together pretty quickly. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Be sure to scoop out a 1/2 cup of the water for the garlic sauce before straining. When ready set pasta and water aside. Mince the garlic, chop the celery, and slice mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Take the cabbage and cut it into long thin strips.

For the sauce, add the low-sodium soy sauce to a small bowl along with the cornstarch and sesame oil. Mix well with a fork to combine and then add the minced garlic to the bowl and set aside. Take a large heavy-bottomed skillet with 2 tbsp. of butter.

Begin sautéing the celery and mushrooms in a large skillet. Add a couple of cranks of cracked black pepper to the veggies. Stir the veggies and allow them to cook for about a minute. Add the shrimp and sprinkle the ginger over the contents of the pan. Allow everything to cook for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp turns pink. Add in the shredded cabbage.

Along with the sauce and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir and allow the sauce to thicken and the garlic to cook for a few seconds. Toss the pasta into the pan and begin tossing the noodles into the sauce to combine. Add more pasta water if needed and sprinkle half the sesame seeds. Garnish with the remaining sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Cooking Notes

• Be sure to use low sodium soy sauce as opposed to full sodium soy sauce.
• I use cleaned deveined tail-off jumbo shrimp.
• If you don’t have spaghetti-style pasta, you can use linguine.

How To Store

Store leftover noodles in an airtight container placed in the fridge. The next day they can be reheated in the microwave or in a skillet with a lid. 

FAQ

What other protein works in this dish?

If you don’t have jumbo shrimp on hand. Try it with cubed or sliced steak. I find the beef pairs well with the sauce and if you cut it into small cubes it will cook just as quickly as the jumbo shrimp does in this recipe. You can also of course leave the meat out altogether for creating a vegetarian-style meal.

What type of mushrooms work best?

I use standard white button mushrooms, (cremini) or baby Bella mushrooms for this recipe but Portobello will also work.

Do you have a spicy version?

Not on the blog, however, adding some red pepper flakes at the end or tsp or so of chili paste to the sauce will add a kick to the overall taste. Don’t be afraid to add a dash if you are in the mood for a spicier Asian-style pasta.

*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no cost to you).

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If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate you coming back to give it 5 stars!