Easy Eats: Buttery Gochujang Noodles
These buttery gochujang noodles are quick and satisfying meal that will satisfy both the spice-curious and spice-lover, says chef Sam Parish. Photo: Sam Parish
This dish combines ‘so hot right now’ gochujang paste with the richness of butter and an egg yolk to create a sticky, delicious sauce that coats each noodle perfectly.
Serves: 4 / Prep time: 15 minutes / Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 300g firm tofu, torn
- 12 mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 320g dried udon noodles
- 100g butter
- 6 green shallots, white part chopped, green part thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp - 1/3 cup gochujang paste (depending on level of spice)
- ½ white cabbage, shredded
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 4 egg yolks
- Extra chilli oil, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Prepare the vegetables and bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
Place the tofu, mushrooms, and sesame seeds on the tray, drizzle with vegetable oil, and toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to packet instructions.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a deep frypan over high heat. Add the white part of the shallots and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Add the gochujang paste and stir to combine. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes or until wilted and softened.
Drain the noodles and add them to the cabbage mixture along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, and roasted sesame mushrooms. Stir to combine and season to taste- adding some of the noodle cooking water if needed to thin out sauce.
Transfer noodles to four bowls and top with the roasted sesame tofu and green part of the shallots. Add an egg yolk to each bowl and let everyone mix it into the hot noodles to create the sticky, delicious sauce. Drizzle with extra chilli oil if desired.
Photo: Sam Parish
Sam Parish is a Christchurch-based chef, writer and food stylist. Her food philosophy is ‘maximum of flavour, minimum of fuss’ (MOFMOF), which means she’s all about cooking smarter, not harder. She’ll be sharing delicious, fast, family-friendly food ideas every Wednesday (after road-testing them on her own whānau, of course). Sam’s first book, Cook Me is out now.
