How do you turn boring Udon noodles into something incredible? Like these Spicy Korean Noodles? It's the sauce!
I've said it before, if you have a good sauce you can make anything taste good!
And while I wish I could take full credit for this incredibly tasty sauce, it's actually a recipe by none other than the Korean Vegan herself, Joanne Molinaro.
It's the perfect blend of sweet and spicy that is definitely one of my favorites. If you haven't heard of Joanne she is definitely worth looking up.
Ingredients for Spicy Korean Noodles
- Gochujang
- Gochugaru
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Maple Syrup
- Mirin
- Udon Noodles
- Onion
- Garlic
- Scallions
- Jalapenos (I used Fresno Chiles)
- Savoy Cabbage
Where can I find this gochu...stuff. What is it?
Gochugaru is a Korean Chile Powder and can be found in stores like Whole Foods, Asian Markets, and on Amazon. I'll drop a few of my affiliate links below, and I do earn a small commission on every sale.
Gochujang is a fermented chile paste made from that same powder with some other added ingredients. These 2 spices are the backbone of Korean cooking and in my opinion, a must-have for your Vegan pantry.
Mirin is a Japanese Rice Wine that is both sweet and tangy and is used in many Asian recipes.
Udon Noodles are available in the cooler section of many grocery stores and come in a variety of flavors. The flavors are usually NOT vegan, but that's just the spice packet - so toss it as we only need the noodles. They are made of wheat, so if you are gluten intolerant, maybe try rice noodles instead.
>How To Make Spicy Korean Noodles
This is a very simple recipe.
- whisk the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl
- chop the veggies
- boil the noodles
- saute the veggies
- add the noodles
- add the sauce and stir
SUPER EASY! In fact, you can probably make this in 30 minutes or less.
Joanne's original recipe used tofu, so definitely look that one up as it is really good too. But I used noodles and some of those beautiful Fresno Chiles I got at Whole Foods last week for my upcoming Sriracha recipe (which are happily fermenting away right now and filling my office with a VERY funky aroma).
I also added some savoy cabbage (See Dr. Essie? I'm getting my GREENS) and a little can of sliced mushrooms.
But that sauce really brings it all together.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and stay tuned for that Sriracha recipe!
Chuck
Spicy Korean Noodles
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How do you turn boring Udon noodles into something incredible? Like these Spicy Korean Noodles? It's the sauce!
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 T. maple syrup
- 1 ½ T. low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 T. gochujang
- 1 T. gochugaru
- 1 T. rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. mirin
- ½ tsp. cornstarch
Noodles
- ¼ onion
- 3 green onions
- 2 red Fresno or jalapeno chiles (opt.)
- 7 cloves minced garlic
- 1 (6.6 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
- 2 c. savoy cabbage
- 1 (7 oz.) pkg. udon noodles
Instructions
- Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Dice the onions, shred the cabbage, mince the garlic, and cut the peppers into rings.
- Prepare the noodles according to the package directions
- Saute all the veggies in 1-2 T veg broth or water until softened
- Add mushrooms and noodles and stir fry for 1 minute
- Add the sauce and remove from the heat
- Stir until the sauce thickens and everything is evenly coated
- Garnish with green onion tops and sesame seeds
Brenda Schnell
Just made this for supper, so delicious! Spicy even though I didn't have any jalapenos to put in. I will definitely make this again!
Suzy
Good recipe Chuck. Although I did replace the gochujang with Sriracha and the gochugaru with paprika. I used 4 ounces of noodles for the 2 of us but left the other measurements as is. A bit more sauce would have been nice. Even husband commented that the flavor was great! Much thanks!
Janet Jones
Hi Chuck, this looks good but I can't find the recipe!