Fast Spicy Comfort Food: Gochujang Butter Noodles for One
Need a spicy comfort food FAST using items already in your pantry?
This Gochujang Butter Noodles bowl will give you a pain-to-pleasure rush that triggers feel-good chemicals like endorphins and dopamine.
According to Yashoda Foods, the capsaicin in a bowl of steaming hot and spicy ramen can lower stress hormones like cortisol.
Gochujang paste gets its heat from Korean red chili pepper powder (gochugaru) made from Capsicum annuum L. peppers, which naturally contain capsaicin and related capsaicinoids.
This Gochujang Butter Noodles recipe takes just 7 minutes to make.
Are there ingredients missing from your pantry? Don’t panic! See our suggested substitutions below the recipe.
Fast Spicy Comfort Food: Gochujang Butter Noodles for One
1
servings7
minutesKeep the screen of your device on while cooking
Ingredients
4 oz 4 fresh or instant ramen noodles [or spaghetti, or whatever pasta on hand]
2 tbsp 2 butter
2 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp 1 gochujang paste
1 tbsp 1 honey
1 tbsp 1 sherry vinegar or rice vinegar
Directions
- Boil the noodles
- Fill a 2-quart saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta. Cook according to package directions.
- Sauté the aromatics
- While pasta is boiling, melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan on medium-low heat. Add minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir the garlic occasionally until it softens (but don’t brown).
- Build the sauce
- Stir in the gochujang paste, honey, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, allowing the mixture to cook down. It’s ready when a wooden spoon or spatula drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail that holds for 3 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Combine noodles and butter
- When noodles are cooked, set aside 1 cup of water from the saucepan.
- Drain the noodles and return them to the saucepan. Add 1/2 tbsp butter and stir until melted.
- Add sauce
- Add sauce to pasta and stir. Add reserved cooking water, a little at a time, until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
- Garnish
- Season with salt and pepper. Top with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, or as desired, and serve immediately.
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Don’t have the right ingredients? No worries! Here are some substitutions you will have in your pantry.
Don’t have Gochujang paste in your cupboard? Chili powder has capsaicin, too. Substitute 1 tsp chili powder/cayenne pepper OR 1 tbsp sriracha with a pinch of sugar OR 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce.
Don’t have sherry vinegar or rice vinegar? The correct acidity is crucial. Without it, the combination of heavy butter, starchy noodle water, and honey can make the dish taste too heavy or sweet. If you only have distilled white vinegar in your pantry, you can substitute it, but you’ll need to adjust the amount because it is very sharp and aggressive. Use 1/2 tbsp distilled white vinegar with a pinch of sugar.
Want more?
Find the 25-minute recipe for 4 people on NY Times Cooking.
Like this recipe? Find more Korean American recipes by Eric Kim in this amazing cookbook.
- New York Times & Los Angeles Times bestseller
- Shortlisted for the Art of Eating prize
- IACP award finalist
- Cookbook of the Year at Bon Appétit, The Boston Globe, Saveur, NPR, Food & Wine, Salon, Vice, Epicurious, Publishers Weekly, Simply Recipes
New York Times staff writer Eric Kim grew up in Atlanta, the son of two Korean immigrants. Food has always been central to his story, from Friday-night Korean barbecue with his family to hybridized Korean-ish meals for one—like Gochujang-Buttered Radish Toast and Caramelized-Kimchi Baked Potatoes—that he makes in his tiny New York City apartment. In his debut cookbook, Eric shares these recipes alongside insightful, touching stories.
