15 minutes and only 8 ingredients for delicious spicy garlic noodles!
These noodles are saucy, spicy, a little sweet, and full of umami. They are 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 incredibly fast.
We love noodles. So much so that we’ve written an entire book dedicated to noodles. We never get tired of eating and making noodles at home and are always looking for new recipes. This is one of our go-to classics: a super simple umami sauce with wide, chewy noodles. They’re ready in under 15 minutes and are full of flavor.
ingredients
- wide noodles – I am using knife-cut Chinese shanxi planed ribbon noodles or dao xiao mian (刀削面). They sell them in Asian grocery stores or you can buy them online. They’re essentially a wheat pasta with frayed edges that have a beautifully silky chewy texture that holds sauce well. You can use any large noodles you have in your pantry.
- neutral oil – we need a little oil to cook the garlic and toast the chilli flakes so that everything becomes incredibly fragrant and delicious.
- garlic – 6 cloves of garlic because we are garlic lovers. Feel free to adjust as needed!
- chili pepper pieces – this is what will bring the heat. This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon which is spicy enough without being overpowering, but depends on your spice levels. Remember, you can always add spice but you can’t take it away, so start small.
- I am willow – umami and salty to combine with the little sugar that we will add for a sweet and salty sauce.
- gochujang – a little gochujang (a Korean hot sauce) adds salty sweetness and lots of flavor. More on gochujang below!
- Brown sugar – just a very light touch of cane sugar to enhance all the savory and spicy notes.
How to make spicy noodles
- Cook the noodles: bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions.
- Prepare the sauce: While the noodles are cooking, add the oil and heat the garlic and red pepper in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is fragrant. Mix the soy sauce, gochujang and honey.
- Mix: Add the noodles to the pan and stir until all noodles are glossy and coated. Loosen with a little noodle water if needed.
Enjoy!
How to customize spicy noodles
These spicy noodles are infinitely customizable, especially with spices. I use gochujang as the base for this recipe’s hot sauce, but you can use your favorite Asian chili sauce: sriracha, sambal oelek, even crunchy chili. I like funky sweet and savory taste that gochujang brings to the table because it adds so much depth of flavor.
Help, I don’t want them too spicy!
You can make them hotter or hotter depending on how many red pepper flakes you use and your choice of hot sauce. You can also omit the gochujang to make it even less spicy. Or, if you like the taste of gochujang, just make sure you get the package that is mild.
You call it spicy!??!
If these noodles aren’t spicy enough for you, definitely increase the chili flakes and amount of gochujang you’re using. Also, pro tip, use the red pepper flakes which are fresh, they tend to be hotter. Some specific pepper flakes you can try:
- Gochugaru – A sweet and soft Korean seedless pepper with little heat.
- Aleppo chilli flakes – fruity and earthy with some warmth and a touch of cumin.
- Guajillo chili flakes – very earthy and hotter!
- 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 is a flavourful, sweet and spicy thick paste made from chilli 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. It’s what makes so many Korean recipes spicy and ruby red.
What to serve with spicy noodles?
We like to serve them with veggies and a protein for a balanced meal. You can also serve them with:
- potstickers
- wonton soup
- gay lan
- Grilled Chinese pork
What kind of spaghetti for spicy spaghetti?
To be honest you can use any type of pasta you love pasta too. We usually choose what’s in the pantry. Some noodles to try:
- instant ramen noodles (delete package)
- thin rice noodles
- Chinese egg noodles
- udon
- ramen
- pasta, especially long pasta
- vermicelli
- hello my
Gluten-free noodles
If you are looking for gluten free noodles, I recommend wide rice noodles, like these here.
How to cook wide rice noodles:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the noodles into the simmering water and cook according to package directions, loosening with chopsticks or tongs.
- When the tagliatelle are ready, drain them well and rinse them with cold tap water, making sure that the tagliatelle do not stick together.
- Usage immediately in the hot sauce.
If you’re looking for more spicy noodle recipes, try these:
- Super easy sichuan and dan noodles
- Buldak noodles
- Garlic Lemongrass Noodles
- Pantry noodles with chili oil
Light up your spice!
xoxo steph
Spicy noodles with garlic and chilli
ingredients
- 8 ounce noodles prefer large noodles
- 2 table spoon neutral oil
- 6 Cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili pepper pieces or to taste
- 2 table spoon I am willow
- 1 table spoon gochujang optional
- 1 table spoon Brown sugar
Condiments (optional)
- toasted sesame seeds
- green onions sliced
- gochugaru Korean chili flakes
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions.
-
While the noodles cook, add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes to a nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is fragrant. Mix the soy sauce, gochujang and brown sugar.
-
When the noodles are done, add them straight from the pot to the pan and stir until all the noodles are glossy and coated. Loosen with 1-2 tablespoons of spaghetti water if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Estimated nutrition
Quantity per serving
Calories from Fat 72
