Spicy Gochujang Glass Noodle Bowls

Makes: 2 generous portions
Time: about 10 minutes

Ingredients

Noodles

• 1 package (6.03 oz / 171 g) Shirakiku Saifun glass noodles

Gochujang sauce

• 3 tbsp gochujang

• 1½ tbsp soy sauce

• 1½ tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1½ tsp honey or brown sugar

• 1–2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2–3 tbsp hot water, as needed

• 1–2 tsp chili crisp, optional

Chicken

• Chicken thighs

• 1 tsp neutral oil (I like avocado oil)

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ¾ tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ¼ tsp salt

Vegetables

• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced or julienned

• 1 medium carrot, shredded or julienned

• 1–2 cloves garlic, minced

Optional toppings

• Sesame seeds

• Sliced green onion

• Crushed peanuts

• Cilantro

• Avocado

1. Make the sauce

While the noodles are soaking, whisk together:

3 tbsp gochujang + 1½ tbsp soy sauce + 1½ tbsp rice vinegar + 1 tbsp sesame oil + 1½ tsp honey + garlic.

Add 2 tbsp hot water and stir until it's smooth and pourable. Add another tablespoon if necessary.

2. Cook your noodles

For these thin saifun noodles, I'd use the soak + brief boil method rather than treating them like regular pasta. Glass noodles are notorious for becoming mushy if they're cooked too long. 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Soak the noodles first.
   Put the dry noodles in a large bowl and cover them with warm water. Let them soak for about 10–15 minutes, until they've softened but aren't completely cooked.

3. Boil briefly.
   Transfer the softened noodles to the boiling water and cook for about 2–3 minutes. Start testing them around 2 minutes—they should be transparent, chewy and tender, but still have some bounce. 

4. Drain immediately and give them a quick rinse under cool water. This stops the cooking and helps prevent them from sticking together.

5. Cut them up a little.
   This is optional, but these noodles can be ridiculously long. A few snips with kitchen scissors makes them much easier to eat.

3. While the noodles cook, cook the chicken and vegetables.

Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the chicken thighs dry before tossing with oil and seasonings. Bake chicken thighs for 20-25 minutes, depending on how cooked you like them (I like them cooked to about 190 degrees).

Vegetables:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrot and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the cucumber.

Turn off the heat and toss in about half of the cucumber and half of the green onion. I like doing this off heat so the cucumber stays crunchy.

5. Toss everything together

Put the drained noodles in a large bowl and pour the sauce over them. Toss really thoroughly—glass noodles are excellent at absorbing sauce.

If they seem a little dry, add another 1–2 teaspoons of water and toss again.

Finish with sesame seeds, green onion, or whatever you have.