Soba Noodle Bowl with Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

This noodle bowl will warm you up during this frigid weather.  The Chinese use spicy food both to warm and cool themselves. This fits the role of the former and it did just that yesterday morning. At breakfast at that. Plus two servings because it was addictive.

This is not a Chinese dish but a Korean one using this ethnic group's popular condiment, gochujang sauce, which I have featured in past blogs, here and here . I also used soba noodles, which is of Japanese origin, that I have used in preparing soba noodle soup with tofu in a previous blog. In this recipe soba noodles are eaten dry without any broth.  They are instead just coated with the delicious spicy sauce.  This sauce is the heart of the dish and has great flavor so any type of noodles would work. You can substitute Ramen like the ones you buy in packets for a few bucks for a dozen or so.  Just skip the flavor packet and substitute the sauce with the gochujang.  You can also use linguine or spaghetti.

You will enjoy this morning, noon or night or in between as a snack.  Asians whether Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese or Koreans love to eat savory noodle dishes, dry or as soups, for their afternoon breaks.  You would too since this is so addictive you would not be able to wait for dinner to eat it. 

Soba Noodle Bowl with Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

Inspired by this, this and this past blogs

2 servings

• 1-3.5 oz bundle soba noodles (The Hana brand I used came in 3.5 oz bundles), prepared according to the package
• vegetables of your choice, (I used microwaved carrots and broccoli)
•  Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce (recipe from this and reprinted below)

Distribute the soba noodles into two medium bowls.  Add one half (start with less) of the Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce to the soba noodles in each bowl and mix till the noodles are coated. Top with the cooked vegetables of your choice.  The soba noodle bowl can be eaten either cold or warm.

Sweet Spicy Gochujang Sauce

recipe from this 

• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp gochujang sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/3 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (Note 1)
• 1/2 tbsp dry garlic flakes (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (Note 2)

Notes

1.  You can adjust the amounts soy sauce and maple syrup and other ingredients for that matter according to your taste.

2.  You can use 1/2 tbsp fresh minced garlic and 1/2 tbsp fresh minced ginger.  I am pretty lazy and opted for the dry ones.