Spicy Korean Noodles
Ingredients
Spicy sauce (makes ~ 1 cup)
- 6 tablespoons gochujang*
- 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons light* soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) brown sugar not packed
- 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon Chinese sesame paste
- 2 teaspoons Korean chili pepper powder
Noodles and Toppings
- 8 ounces fresh ramen noodles or 11 ounces dry noodles
- ½ cup spicy sauce
- 1 Asian pear julienned
- 2 Persian cucumbers julienned
- 3 scallions finely chopped
- 4 thin watermelon slices cut into triangles
- ¼ head Savoy cabbage optional
- ½ cup picked watermelon rinds or pickled radish (or both!)
- 2-4 soft-boiled or poached eggs optional
- toasted white sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Spicy sauce
- In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce. Whisk together until it becomes cohesive (this happens more rapidly than you'd expect). Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Noodles and Toppings
- Julienne the Asian pear and Persian cucumbers, finely chop the scallions, cut the watermelon into bite-sized triangles. If using shred the cabbage.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. As the water approaches a boil, prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl.
- Drop the noodles into the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 3-4 minutes for fresh and 4-5 minutes for dry ramen noodles. Quickly drain the noodles then shock them in the prepared ice bath for 2 minutes. Remove the shocked, chilled noodles, shake off any excess water, than transfer the noodles to a serving bowl.
- Add the ½ cup of sauce to the noodles in the serving bowl and toss together. Once the noodles are fully covered in sauce, garnish the bowl with the pear, cucumber, watermelon, cabbage, and pickled watermelon rind (or radish) in separate discrete stacks. Place the soft-boiled eggs such that they separate the bowl into quadrants, then dust everything with sesame seeds. Serve.