How To Make These Spicy Gochujang Ramen Noodles
Cook your noodles of choice: I often use Nongshim’s classic ramyun (Korean-style instant noodles), but you could very well use any noodles of your choice! In fact, I’ve made this recipe just as successfully with udon noodles (with this rendition crossing 18 million views on Instagram, here)
- Prepare a base of chilli-garlic sauce by combining a lot of garlic, finely chopped spring onions, sesame seeds, and gochugaru in a heatproof bowl. You are welcome to change any or all of these ingredients to suit your tastes, adding more or less as needed. If you have crushed red chili flakes on hand, you could also use them in place of the gochugaru (though don’t think it would change the flavor).
- Drizzle warm sesame oil over the top, allowing the spicy oil to sizzle with the richness of the flavors and warmth from the spices.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients, each of which is essential for bringing the sauce’s shades of heat, offset by a creamy undertone, into balance. Fermented red pepper paste from Korea, known as gochujang; smooth peanut butter; rice vinegar; light soy sauce; lime juice; brown sugar
- Finally, stir in your ramen noodles and a small amount of the cooking water to help the noodles become more flexible.
- Garnish, garnish, garnish: serve hot, and for good measure, sprinkle some sesame seeds and spring onions on top!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- To thin out the gochujang sauce to your desired consistency, add a few tablespoons of water.
- Add any of your favorite stir-fried vegetables, such as boy choy, sugar snap peas, carrots, and broccoli, to your spicy Korean noodles.
- You can also include any of your preferred protein sources, such as tofu, chicken, or shrimp.
- Feel free to modify this gochujang sauce to serve as a foundation. Rice vinegar, peanut butter, tahini, or chili crisp are examples of possible additions.
Gochujang noodles that are leftover can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to five days. To savor them once more, reheat them gently in a microwave or pot on the stove.
Since freezing leftover noodles can change their texture, I do not advise doing so.
Thats it, my friends. I sincerely hope you enjoy my gochujang noodles, a spicy Korean dish. Let me know if you make it. I would be curious to know how it worked out for you and whether you chose to add some spice!
I hope you will check out my cookbook, which has 75 simple recipes with bold, big flavor, if you like to cook spicy food.
- Mike Hultquist’s Spicy Food Lovers Cookbook (affiliate link, my friends!)
Spicy Korean-Inspired Gochujang Ramen Noodles
- 1 packet instant ramen noodles
- 2-3 tsp finely-minced garlic
- 1 tsp gochugaru (can sub crushed red chilli flakes)
- ½-1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1-2 tbsp chopped spring onions
- 1½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp gochujang/ red chilli paste
- 1½ tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- Cook ramen noodles/ noodles of choice according to package instructions. Drain and set aside, reserving some of the noodle water.
- Transfer the spring onions, sesame seeds, gochugaru, and garlic to a heatproof bowl.
- Pour the sesame oil over the chili-garlic mixture after gently heating it. After a few minutes of sizzling, whisk in the gochujang, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar, along with the remaining ingredients.
- Taste and adjust to your liking; you can add extra lime juice for more zing. To increase the heat, you could even add a dollop of your preferred hot sauce.
- Add the noodles and a small amount of the cooking water for the noodles now. Mix thoroughly, then top with additional spring onions to serve.
