15 minutes and only 8 ingredients for some extra delicious garlicky spicy noodles!

These noodles are saucy, spicy, a little bit sweet, and full of umami. They’re extra garlicky and vegan! Of course, you can add extra protein and veggies to this to bulk it up and make it a whole meal. These noodles are super versatile and the best part is that they come together amazingly quickly.

We love noodles. So much that we wrote a whole book dedicated to noodles. We never tire of eating and making noodles at home and we’re always noodling around with new recipes. This is one of our classic go-tos: a super simple umami packed sauce with wide chewy noodles. They’re ready in under 15 minutes and are full of flavor.

Ingredients

• wide noodles – I’m using knife cut Chinese shanxi planed ribbon noodles or dao xiao mian (刀削面). They sell them at Asian grocery stores or you can buy them online. They’re essentially a wheat noodle with frilly edges that have a wonderfully silky chewy texture that holds up well to sauce. You can use any wide noodle you have in your pantry.
• neutral oil – we need a bit of oil to cook up the garlic and toast the red pepper flakes so that everything gets amazingly fragrant and delicious.
• garlic – 6 cloves of garlic because we’re garlic lovers. Feel free to adjust as needed!
• red pepper flakes – this is what is going to bring the heat. This recipe calls for 1 tsp which is just spicy enough without being overpowering, but that depends on your spice levels. Remember, you can always add spice but you can’t take it away, so start small.
• soy sauce – umami and saltiness to combine with the tiny bit of sugar we’ll add for a sweet and savory sauce.
• gochujang – a little bit of gochujang (a spicy Korean sauce) adds savory sweetness and so much flavor. More on gochujang below!
• brown sugar – just the lightest touch of brown sugar to highlight all the savory and spicy notes.

How to make spicy noodles

1. Cook the noodles: bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions.
2. Make the sauce: While the noodles are cooking, add the oil and heat the garlic and red pepper flakes in a nonstick pan over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the soy sauce, gochujang, and honey.
3. Mix: Add the noodles to the pan and toss until all the noodles are glossy and coated. Loosen with a bit of noodle water if needed.
   Enjoy!

How to customize spicy noodles

These spicy noodles are infinitely customizable, especially with the spice. I use gochujang as the hot sauce base of this recipe but you can use your favorite Asian chili sauce: sriracha, sambal oelek, even chili crisp. I like the funky sweet and savory flavor that gochujang brings to the table because it adds so much depth of flavor.

Help, I don’t want these too spicy!

You can make these more or less spicy depending on how many red pepper flakes  you use and your choice of hot sauce. You can also leave out the gochujang to make it even less spicy. Or, if you like the flavor of gochujang, just be sure to get the package that is mild.

You call this spicy!??!

If these noodles aren’t spicy enough for you, definitely increase the chili pepper flakes and the amount of gochujang you’re using. Also, pro tip, use chili flakes that are fresh, they tend to be spicier. Some specific pepper flakes you can try:

• Gochugaru – A seedless Korean pepper that’s sweet and mellow with not too much heat.
• Aleppo chili flakes – fruity and earthy with a bit of heat and a touch of cumin.
• Guajillo chili flakes – very earthy and more heat!
• Sichuan chili flakes – spicy but not too spicy unless you use a huge amount. My all time favorite chili flakes!

What is gochujang?

Gochujang is a delicious spicy Korean sauce. It’s a savory, sweet, spicy thick paste made from chili powder and sticky rice. It adds sweet and heat and a ton of flavor. Traditionally it comes in tubs, but these days you can find it in convenient squeeze bottles in the Asian aisle of literally any grocery store and online, of course. It’s what makes so many Korean recipes spicy and ruby red.

What to serve with spicy noodles?

We like serving them with veggies and a protein for a balanced meal. You can also serve them with:

• potstickers
• wonton soup
• gai lan
• Chinese BBQ pork

What kind of noodles for spicy noodles?

To be honest you can use any kind of noodle you love even pasta. Usually we go for whatever’s in the pantry. Some noodles to try:

• instant ramen noodles (ditch the packet)
• thin rice noodles
• Chinese egg noodles
• udon
• ramen
• pasta, especially long pastas
• vermicelli
• lo mein

Gluten free noodles

If you’re looking for gluten free noodles, I recommend wide rice noodles, like these ones here.

How to cook wide rice noodles:

1. Bring a large pot of water up to a rolling boil.
2. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions, loosening with chopsticks or tongs.
3. When the noodles are done, drain well and rinse with cool tap water, making sure the noodles don’t stick together.
4. Use immediately in the spicy sauce.

If you’re looking for other spicy noodle recipes, give these ones a try:

• Super easy Sichuan dan dan noodles
• Buldak noodles
• Garlic lemongrass noodles
• Chili oil pantry noodles

Get your spice on!
xoxo steph