Do you love spicy things? If so, you probably love buldak and you will probably love these buldak noodles too.
It’s fiery, red spicy, and so, so good. It’s one of my favorite things in Korean restaurants even though it’s so spicy I can’t stand it. It is also very popular for Korean barbecue. I especially like it with cheese!
What is Buldak?
Buldak, also known as fire chicken, is a spicy barbecued Korean chicken dish. “Bul” means fire and “dak” means chicken. Buldak is chicken nuggets doused in a spicy sauce made from gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, jocheong (rice syrup), garlic and ginger. It is quite a new dish that became popular in the early 2000s in both buldak restaurants and Samyang buldak instant noodles.
What are Buldak Noodles?
Buldak noodles, made famous by popular Korean brand Samyang, is SUPER spicy instant ramen noodles. They are called buldak bokkeum myeon or hot chicken flavored ramen and are essentially instant buldak flavored ramen. They are one of the hottest instant noodles available in the world and there are several flavors. Unlike most instant ramen which is soupy, buldak noodles are a gravy noodle: after the noodles are cooked, they are drained and mixed with the buldak sauce. The noodles are incredibly popular and Samyang’s best-selling noodles.
How spicy is the buldak?
It’s really spicy! Everyone’s spice tolerance is different, but I will say that the spice of the buldak is one that builds and builds.
Are Buldak noodles the hottest noodles?
The original hot chicken-flavored buldak bokkeum myeon ramen is super spicy at 4,404 Scoville units, but it’s not the hottest noodles Samyang makes. The spiciest noodle is buldak bokkeum myeon mini (hot chicken flavor mini ramen) which is 12,000 Scoville units.
What is in buldak sauce
- gochugaru – Korean chili flakes bring smokiness and some heat and crunch.
- gochujang – This is where most of the spices come from, especially if you use extra spicy gochujang.
- I am willow – soy sauce adds umami and tanginess. If you have Korean soy sauce, use that, otherwise the best for this recipe is Japanese soy sauce.
- sugar – a little sweetness accentuates the spicy heat. The combination of sweet and spicy is classic in Korean food. Traditionally they use jocheong (rice syrup) but for convenience we’ll go with sugar.
- garlic – fresh garlic adds heat. If you’re a garlic lover, raw garlic is essential, add as many cloves as you can handle. For chicken, garlic cooks, but if you’re just making buldak sauce for noodles, raw garlic will surprise you with how spicy it is.
Gochujang versus Gochugaru
If you’re not familiar with Korean food, you might not know what gochujang or gochugaru is.
- Gochujang it is a Korean hot sauce. It is a salty, sweet and spicy thick fermented paste made from chili powder and sticky rice. Adds sweetness and heat and loads of flavor. It traditionally 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.
- Gochugaru, on the other hand, are Korean chili flakes. Korean chili flakes are fruity, sweet, smoky, sun-dried bright red flakes. They aren’t too spicy and their heat is delicate and delicious. I always buy coarse gochugaru that looks like sea salt flakes. They are usually labeled with mild, medium or hot, so you can buy them according to your spice preferences.
What kind of noodles for buldak noodles?
You can use any type of noodles, but if you go for Samyang-style buldak noodles, instant ramen is best. You can use any confection you like, just throw away the condiment package. We like Nongshim Shin Ramyun noodles as they are thick and chewy. If you don’t have instant ramen noodles on hand, you can also try this sauce with noodles or udon.
How to make Buldak Noodles
That’s all! Hope you guys have your spice!
Buldak noodles
ingredients
- 1 table spoon gochujang
- 1 table spoon gochugaru
- 2 teaspoon I am willow
- 1 teaspoon chicken broth
- 1 table spoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 portion cooked noodles of your choice
- 2-4 table spoon pasta water as necessary
Instructions
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In a bowl, mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, chicken stock, rice vinegar, garlic powder, sugar, and toasted sesame oil.
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Cook instant ramen according to package, reserve 1/4 cup water, and drain well.
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Toss the noodles into the sauce, loosening with extra water if needed. Top with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds and seaweed and enjoy!
Notes
The nutrition estimate doesn’t include your favorite noodles.
Estimated nutrition
Quantity per serving
Calories from Fat 21
