Rice noodles are tossed up in a saucy, spicy, flavor-packed sauce made with gochujang paste. These delicious Korean-style Gochujang noodles are made in under 20 minutes.
Noodles that are spicy, zesty, saucy, and come together in 20 minutes? Yes, please! These delicious Korean-style noodles are made with rice noodles, tossed up in a sticky sauce made with some of my favorite ingredients - Gochujang paste, miso paste, lemon, honey, etc.
There is a whole lot of flavor that's going on in this sauce, the heat from the Gochujang paste is balanced out by the zest from the lemon juice and the slight sweetness from the honey. Peanut butter is also added to the sauce to give it body and flavor.
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a fermented savory, sweet, and spicy fermented chili paste that is used to add heat and flavor to Korean recipes. The kex ingredients use dto make Gochujang paste are Gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, meju-garu (fermented soybean powder).
I love using Gochujang in many of my Asian recipes, from Asian noodle bowls to Spicy Honey Garlic Shrimp to this quick and easy Instant Pot Peanut Noodles.
Notes on the Ingredients
To make Gochujang Noodles, you will need:
The Noodles: I have used rice noodles for this recipe, but you can use any variety of Asian noodles - from ramen (discard the seasoning packet if using instant ramen noodles) to lo mein noodles, most varieties of noodles can use used here.
Gochujang Paste: Gochujang paste can be found in most Asian stores and some supermarkets have also started to stock it, these days.
Miso Paste: Miso paste is an optional ingredient, but I find that it adds more flavor (all that umami!) to the noodles.
Peanut Butter: Peanut butter (or almond butter) makes the sauce sticky and adds a touch of nuttiness that goes so well with the rest of the umami-heavy flavors.
Honey: A little honey or even brown sugar is perfect for balancing out the salty, spicy flavors from the gochujang.
How to make this recipe
To begin, cook the noodles as per the packet instructions. I have used rice noodles which are cooked in hot water for under 3 minutes. As soon as they cook, rinse them under cold water to prevent them from overcooking. Keep the rice noodles aside.
If you are using ramen or any other variety of noodles, simply follow the packet instructions and keep the noodles aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the minced ginger and garlic. Add the soy sauce.
In a small saucepan, heat the sesame oil until it is hot, then pour the hot sesame oil over the ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Add the miso paste, gochujang paste, honey, lemon juice, rice vinegar and peanut butter into the mixing bowl and use a whisk to whisk it well, until it forms a thick sauce.
Add the cooked noodles to the bowl and using a pair of tongs, toss the noodles well until they are coated in the sauce.
Optional Step: If you like your noodles on the saucier side, reserve some of the water left after cooking the noodles. Add a couple of tablespoons of the noodle water to the noodles to loosen up the sauce, and make it less thick.
And that's it! Your saucy, spicy, Korean-style Gochujang noodles are now ready! Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions and serve hot.
Suggested Recipes
Gochujang Noodles
Ingredients
- 10 oz Rice Noodles Approx 300 grams
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang Paste
- 1 teaspoon Miso Paste Optional
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1½ teaspoon Rice Vinegar see notes
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
- 1½ tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger and garlic
Instructions
- Cook the rice noodles (or any variety of noodles that you are using) as per the packet instructions, keep aside. Reserve some of the cooking water.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine minced ginger and garlic with soy sauce.
- In a saucepan, heat sesame oil until it is hot. Immediately, pour the hot sesame oil over the ginger garlic and soy sauce in the mixing bowl, until it sizzles.
- In the mixing bowl, add honey, lemon juice, miso paste, gochujang, rice vinegar and peanut butter.
- Use a whisk to whisk all the ingredients into a thick paste.
- Add the noodles into the mixing bowl and using a pair of tongs, toss them together until well combined.
- If you want to loosen up the sauce and make the noodles a little runny, add some of the reserved noodle cooking water.