Tag: noodles

Stir Fried Gochujang Noodles

Doesn’t it look great?

I’m obsessed with Gochujang. I add it to anything and everything. My husband loves it just as much as I do, if not more. So it was obvious I’d add it to stir fried noodles. It just took longer since I always have chili oil on hand. Now that I’ve added it to noodles once, I can never go back.

This recipe is pretty adaptable, in the sense that you can add any vegetables you have on hand. The only required things are the condiments. Gochujang can be hard to find if you live in a smaller town or in a country where such things are not easily available. Fear not, Amazon carries everything. However, definitely buy from your local Asian grocery store if you have one! Did I mention this recipe is completely vegan? 😬

Look how glossy 😍

Servings: 2, Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Dry udon noodles 4 oz
  • Green onions 4
  • Garlic cloves 4-5
  • Ginger 1 1/2 inch piece
  • Mushrooms 8 oz
  • Cabbage 1/4 head
  • Carrot 1 medium or 3/4 cup matchstick carrots
  • Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
  • Dark soy sauce 1 tsp
  • Gochujang 3 tbsp
  • Sesame seeds 1 tbsp (optional for garnishing)

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the green onions and garlic. Peel and grate the ginger
  2. Shred the cabbage and slice the mushrooms. If using a carrot, julienne it. I prefer matchstick carrots since they’re ready kind of julienned.
  3. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to remove extra starch.
  4. Heat oil in a pan on high heat. Sauté the white part of green onions, ginger and garlic for 1-2 minutes
  5. Add mushrooms and cook till all the water evaporates
  6. Add in the cabbage and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  7. Add in the carrots and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The vegetables should still have a bite to them
  8. Add in the soy sauces and Gochujang. Mix and sauté for another minute.
  9. Add the cooked noodles and mix well.
  10. Sprinkle the green part of the green onions and sesame seeds on top. Enjoy!

Tips

  • You might have noticed the recipe is missing salt. That’s because all the condiments we are using are quite salty. However, you can add some in after tasting at the end if you feel it needs more.
  • I used the vegetables specified here, but you can use any vegetable. Eg: Broccoli and zucchini would taste great here.
  • I prefer udon noodles for this recipe, but use any noodles you want. Ramen noodles would go well as well!

This has quickly become one of our favorite weeknight meals. It’s not hard and gets done pretty fast. The cooking time seems high, but that’s due to the noodles. If you use noodles that cook fast, it’ll be shorter! Also, feel free to use pre chopped vegetables or frozen veggies to reduce cooking time.. As always, let me know how it went in the comments! 😊

Cold Noodles with Peanut Dressing

Austin gets pretty hot and humid in summer. I’d become used to pleasant weather, so Austin summers hit me pretty hard. This was the first time I actively looked for cold dishes. Cold noodles are one of my favorites. They’re more satisfying than a salad, but also cool down your system. This dish is also perfect to finish off any leftover veggies. To make it even better, the dish is completely vegan! 😬

Servings: 2, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • Rice noodles 8 oz
  • Carrot 1 medium
  • Cucumber 1/2 medium
  • Button Mushrooms 10-12
  • Unsweetened Peanut butter 1/4 cup
  • Soy sauce 2 tbsp
  • Vinegar 1 tbsp
  • Sugar 2 tsp
  • Roasted sesame oil 1 tsp
  • Water 3 tbsp
  • Salt as required
  • Toasted sesame seeds 2 tsp
  • Cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, vinegar, water and sugar. Taste and add salt if needed. The dressing should be a salty since this is the only source of seasoning for the dish. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill
  2. Slice the mushrooms thickly and sauté till all the water has evaporated. Set aside to cool
  3. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and toss with a little bit of sesame oil to prevent sticking.
  4. Julienne the carrot and cucumber.
  5. In a bowl, add the noodles, the dressing and the vegetables. Toss thoroughly so that the noodles are well coated.
  6. Serve in a bowl and too with chopped cilantro!

Tips

  • The dressing needs a small amount of water for everything to dissolve and become homogeneous. The quantity of water will depend on the peanut butter used. I prefer using all natural thick peanut butter and therefore it needs more water to work here. If your peanut butter is runny, add water 1 tsp at a time until the required consistency is reached
  • Unsweetened peanut butter is the best kind of peanut butter. I always make sure the ingredients listed are just peanuts. However, if you use a sweetened peanut butter, do not add any sugar to the dressing
  • The dressing can be made 24 hours in advance. Just cook the noodles and toss when you are ready to eat
  • I like to run cold water through my noodles after they’re done cooking and massage them a bit. This helps to release any extra starch on the noodles!
  • Do not toss the noodles with the dressing until you are ready to eat. They will become soggy. To pack these in a lunch box, give the dressing separately in a small container
  • I’ve used carrots, mushrooms and cucumbers here, but you can really add any vegetable you want. The only required vegetable is cucumber.
  • The recipe can also be made gluten free. Just find gluten free versions on soy sauce etc…

This is one of our favorite dishes to eat for lunch. It’s light and refreshing. We can both go back to work even after consuming humongous smiths if cold noodles!😄 I hope you give this a try and as always let me know how it goes… 😊

Vegan Jjajangmyeon

As with everyone else during lockdown, I’ve been obsessed with Korean dramas as well. I’ve hinged watched everything from Mr. Sunshine to Crash Landing on You. I couldn’t help but notice that everyone was eating some delicious looking dark colored noodles in most of these k-dramas. So of course I had to find out what these were and how I could get some.

I used to follow Seonkyoung Longest for a while, and remembered she makes a bunch of Korean food. I was hopeful of finding a good recipe on her website. I was right, and what’s more she has a vegan version of jjajangmyeon! I adapted her recipe to things I had available and to suit our taste. This turned out so well, I recommend it to anybody who likes noodles. Here’s a link to the original recipe if you’d like to try that out: https://seonkyounglongest.com/vegan-jjajangmyeon/#tasty-recipes-26914

Servings: 4, Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Fresh jjajangmyeon noodles or udon noodles 10 – 12 oz
  • Yellow onion 1 medium
  • Green onions 3-4
  • Green cabbage 1/4 head
  • White button mushrooms 8 oz pack
  • Garlic 5-6 cloves
  • Ginger 3/5 inch piece
  • Chili pepper 1-2 whole (optional)
  • Canola oil 3 tbsp
  • Chunjang or black bean paste 1/3 cup
  • Sugar 1 tbsp
  • Vegetarian oyster sauce 2 tbsp
  • Cornstarch 1 tbsp
  • Salt and pepper as required
  • Water or vegetable broth 1 cup plus more as needed
  • Cucumber 1/2 medium (optional)

Instructions

  1. Chop the onion and cabbage into large chunks and slice the mushrooms
  2. Finely chop the garlic, ginger, green onion and chili pepper
  3. Heat the canola oil in a pan and add ginger, garlic, the white part of green onions and chili pepper
  4. Add the chunjang and sauté well, about 2 minutes
  5. Add all the chopped veggies and stir fry for 3 minutes
  6. Add the water, oyster sauce and sugar. Cover and cook till vegetables are tender. Then uncover the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  7. In the meantime, cook the noodles in boiling water as per package instructions. Drain and wash with cold water to remove any excess starch
  8. Once the veggies are cooked, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water. Add this to the sauce and cook till it thickens
  9. Add the green part of the green onions. Taste and season with salt and pepper as required
  10. Add noodles to a bowl and top with the jjajang sauce. Julienne the cucumber and add to the noodles if you like cucumber…
  11. Mix well and enjoy hot…

Tips

  • Stir the sauce frequently and keep a close eye on it. It can burn quickly and it’s very hard to judge by color since chunjang is black
  • You can add any veggies you like, but onion and cabbage are required. I’ve made these with zucchini and carrots.
  • Fresh jjajang noodles are the best and I’ve found them in most Asian stores. The same goes for Chunjang and vegetarian oyster sauce. I know that H-mart has all these things for sure. However, udon noodle would work as well if fresh noodles are not available
  • I add chili pepper since we like a little spice, and the noodles are on the sweeter side. However, skip these of you want.. They’ll still taste great!

There is only one drawback to these noodles, it’s very very hard to stop eating them. Also, they’re not the healthiest of noodles out there. However, they’re so worth it! So I hope you give these a try and let me know how it goes… 😬