How do you like your noodles? I love them spicy, tangy and a bit sweet! These noodles with a balanced kick from gochujang (fermented korean chili paste), mild sweet notes from coconut palm sugar and tang from fresh lime juice are perfect for anytime you crave noodles- be it light summer lunches or weeknights.
It takes less than 30 minutes to make these and they are sought after in my house during summers. I use juicy summer zucchini and light protein such as shrimp to make them more hearty. I simply love the combination of shrimp and zucchini together! You can spiral the zucchini if you wish, in fact if you want you can make them just with zucchini spirals(noodles) for a light meal.
Gochujang is made by slowly fermenting gochugaru chili flakes and the long process of fermentation makes the chile develop a savory umami taste. It is subtly sweet and depending on the brand, the heat levels can vary- it is definitely not fiery, rather an unbelievably versatile condiment in my kitchen to pep up almost anything!
Why I love these noodles so much besides the fact that they are noodles 🙂
- You can adjust the sour, spicy or sweet levels to your liking.
- It can be easily made vegetarian using extra firm tofu strips or mushrooms.
- Takes less than 30 minutes to make, even lesser if you use fresh noodles like I do.
- Its a balanced meal - carbs, protein and vegetables all in one.
Below are the substitutions you can do to make this recipe fit different dietary needs.
- For gluten-free version- use flat rice noddles instead of the wheat ones. Many gochujang pastes available in the market are GF, check label before buying. Use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Use any kinds of vegetables instead of zucchini. Broccoli, napa cabbage, mushrooms all work great.
- Instead of soy sauce use tamari or liquid aminos.
- Use thinly sliced chicken breast strips if you don't want to use seafood.
- Use tofu or mushrooms for a meat free version.
- Instead of coconut sugar, add maple or agave for a more smoky taste.
- If you dont have shallots at home, use thinly sliced red onions.
Gochujang Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh noodles, cooked per packet instructions or use any dried noodles that you normally use
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 2-3 tablespoon gochujang paste, adjust to tolerance
- 2 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- 4 tablespoon cooking oil, divided
- 6 oz extra large shrimp, cleaned
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 stalks scallions, white and green parts seperate
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced
- Salt
- Garnish - toasted sesame seeds, cilantro etc
Instructions
- Set the noodles to boil while you prep the sauce and vegetables. Cook as per package instructions, drain once cooked, reserve ½ cup noodle water and massage drained noodles with a little oil after to avoid them sticking.
- In a small bowl, mix the soy, gochujang, sugar and lemon juice. Thin out with 2-4 tablespoon noodle water since gochujang is quite thick and sticky. Taste the sauce and adjust the ingredients if needed as per your liking. At this point it should taste bold and salty. Keep ready.
- In a 12 inch pan, heat up 1 tablespoon oil on medium.Layer the shrimp, sprinkle some salt and sear/cook them for 2-3 minutes each side depending on the size of your shrimp. Take out in a plate.
- Add another tablespoon of oil and add the sliced zucchini next,sprinkle pinch of salt and quickly saute on high for 2-3 minutes so as to not overcook it. Transfer in the same plate as shrimp.
- Add the rest of the oil to the pan and heat up on high. Add the shallots and white scallion parts for 2 minutes till they are soft. Work quickly now and next add the sliced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the sauce mix that we prepped now and cook it for a minute or so with shallots and garlic till the sauce starts bubbling.Keep a close eye since the sugar caramalizes fast.
- Add the noodles next along with shrimp & zucchini and toss everything very well so that its coated in sauce. Taste and adjust the salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes and you can use reserved noodle water (add slowly) if you feel that everything is a bit thick.
- Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and green scallion parts and serve immediately.
Notes
- For gluten-free version- use flat rice noddles instead of the wheat ones.
- Use any kinds of vegetables instead of zucchini. Broccoli, napa cabbage, mushrooms all work great.
- Instead of soy sauce use tamari or liquid aminos.
- Use thinly sliced chicken breast strips if you don't want to use seafood. Cook them earlier like how we cooked shrimp in this recipe.Â
- Use tofu or mushrooms for a meat free version.
- Instead of coconut sugar, add maple or agave for a more smoky taste.
- If you dont have shallots at home, use thinly sliced red onions.
Daphne says
I had never heard of gochujang chili paste before, but luckily I managed to find it at my local Asian store. This recipe is a winner! So simple and so flavourful, we love it! We used oyster mushrooms instead of shrimp and that worked out super. We're definitely making this comfort food again!
Lots of love from Belgium!
G Forrester says
lovely recipe thank you.
Please note it says lime juice on ingredients and lemon juice In method.
it also said cook garlic for 30 minutes, I'm guessing that's 30 seconds!