Gochujang Noodle Bowl

by Katie Chin, Tastemaker in Residence

Photo by Taylor Kiser on Unsplash

Gochu..what??  Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste made from chilis, fermented soy beans, salt and sticky rice.  It’s been around for centuries and is taking the culinary world by storm.  Experts say it’s going to be the next Srircha.  It’s got a sweet smokey heat that adds an earthy richness to almost anything you add it to.  I stumbled upon Gochujang when I was experimenting with a Korean Fried Chicken recipe a couple of years ago and I was immediately hooked. It’s great to add to existing sauces like BBQ sauce or ketchup.  You can find Gochujang paste at Asian markets and on Amazon.com.   I mixed Gochujang paste with soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar, sugar, scallions and toasted sesame seeds to create this simple, yet flavorful Gochujang Noodle Bowl.  You can use fresh Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti or linguini for this dish.  I get my premium sesame oil from the gourmet section of Cost Plus World Market.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Sauce:

¼ cup gochuchang paste (Korean chile paste)

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

4 tsp white sugar

1 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

Noodles:

12 oz fresh egg noodles or 8 ounces dried spaghetti or linguini

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1 pound ground pork or turkey

Finely chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with water and drain again.

3. Heat a wok or skillet to a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground pork or ground turkey and saute for about 4-5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the reserve sauce mixture and stir until meat is coated well, about 30 seconds. Divide the reserve noodles among six bowls. Pour the meat-sauce mixture evenly over each bowl, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and serve.