Total Time 30 to 45 minutes

These noodles, adapted from the cookbook “The Wok” by J. Kenji López-Alt are based on the noodle dish originally created and served by Helene An at San Francisco’s Thanh Long restaurant, are extraordinarily simple and delicious on their own. A small amount of raw minced garlic added at the end of cooking contributed a hint of bite for balance. Garlic powder, rehydrated with water to create a paste, added toasty, round depth. This recipe pairs very well with any seafood, but especially large prawns off of the BBQ.

Ingredients

• Yield: 4 servings
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 medium garlic cloves, minced or smashed in a mortar and pestle
• 4 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 3 teaspoons light soy sauce or shoyu
• 1 teaspoons fish sauce
• 8 oz dry spaghetti
• 1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano (heaping ¼ cup) Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the Parmesan.
• A small handful of thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine garlic powder and ¾ teaspoon water in small bowl and stir until smooth paste forms. Stir in additional ¾ teaspoon water and set aside. 
2. Grate the Pecorino Romano and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a wok or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. 
4. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
5. Meanwhile, bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a 12-​inch skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Add the pasta, stir a few times to make sure it’s not clumping, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente (about 2 minutes short of the recommended cook time on the package).
6. Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the garlic sauce, along with whatever water clings to it. (Reserve the pasta water in the skillet.) Add the garlic powder mixture and toss until well combined, about 30 seconds.
7. Increase the heat to high, add the cheese to the wok, and stir with a wooden spatula or spoon and toss vigorously until the sauce is creamy and emulsified, about 30 seconds. If the sauce looks too watery, let it keep reducing. If it looks greasy, splash some more cooking water into it and let it re-​emulsify. Stir in the scallions (if using), and serve immediately.