Gochujang Udon

Thick noodles in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a good amount of gochujang to spice it up. The ratio of effort to outcome might be the best on my entire blog, as this banger of a dish only takes a few minutes to throw together.

What is this food, Korean, Japanese, Italian…?
– Yes.

as Overheard in the hideout

Very little to say about this one since it’s extremely quick and easy to do. There are only things to pay attention to: First, the noodles might get overcooked and mushy. Leave them in the hot water for only about a minute to entangle them, and then quickly drain. Later-on, make sure to add the noodles to the sauce last. Briefly stir to coat them fully, and then serve immediately. Second, the sauce may start sticking to the bottom of the pan while simmering. To prevent this, don’t exceed medium heat at any point, and regularly scrape the bottom with a soft spatula.

Crucially, by “fresh” udon I mean the type pictured below: round and wet, but shelf-stable packets of pre-cooked noodles that only need to be briefly reheated. I have not attempted this recipe with dried noodles, and therefore can’t tell you if it works or what the measurements are.

The recipe is moderately hot if you are used to spicy food, but not appropriate for complete spiciness beginners. Feel free to increase or reduce the amount of gochujang to adjust it to your liking.

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5 from 1 vote

Prevent screen sleep

Gochujang Udon

Spicy udon noodles in a thick and creamy parmesan sauce, as tasty as it is easy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• 20 g butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots
• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 200 g heavy cream
• 100 g parmesan cheese
• 400 g "fresh" udon noodles not dried
• some pepper
• some table salt
• 2 stalks scallions

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

• Put a small pot of water on the stove over high heat.
• Grate the parmesan.
• Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic and set aside in a bowl together.
• Thinly slice the scallions and set aside for garnish at the end.
• Once the water is boiling, take the pot off the stove and put the fresh udon noodles inside. Carefully separate them without breaking them. Drain after about one minute and set aside.

Fry

• Add the butter to a mid-sized non-stick pan and set to medium high heat.
• Once hot, add the chopped shallot and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the gochujang for about 30 seconds.
• Pour in the heavy cream and keep stirring until well integrated. It should be lightly simmering.
• Add the parmesan. (Reserve a little to sprinkle over at the end if you want.)
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Once the parmesan is fully dissolved, add the noodles and stir until they are fully coated.
• Distribute to plates or bowls and sprinkle with reserved parmesan and sliced scallions.