Takeaway style spicy gochujang noodles with prawns and beansprouts; made with my own Chinese egg noodles made from scratch. 🙂
I made another big batch of noodles this week that I dehydrate in the oven so you can expect many more noodle related dishes to come! 😉 I really feel like these have brought me right back to the good old (pre-gluten free) days where I could have proper takeaway style fried noodles. It has to be one of the lockdown accomplishments I’m most proud of. lol
Also, my boyfriend kept asking for super thin egg noodles (kind of like ramen) so I caved in and used a pasta machine for these. But like I said many times before, you can simply use a rolling pin and pasta cutter/knife (as I did in the noodle recipe). I actually prefer the thicker ones made by hand anyway. 🙂
NOTES / TIPS:
WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF EGG NOODLES?
It’s a sad fact that proper Chinese egg noodles just do not exist in the gluten free world. You basically have to make your own or go without.
If you have a bit of time and patience to spare – it’s honestly easier than it seems – you can make your own following MY EGG NOODLE RECIPE. 🙂
But if not, you can of course use any other gluten free alternative like rice noodles/vermicelli. Even spaghetti.
SUBSTITUTES FOR SHAOHSING WINE:
Your best bet for this one is to check out your local Chinese supermarket (if you have one) or buy it online. They tend to have some brands that are gluten free these days.
But if all things fail, you can also use dry sherry, mirin, sake or even vermouth. While they aren’t exactly the same, they are pretty decent alternatives. As a last resort, you can also use rice wine vinegar.
WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND GLUTEN FREE GOCHUJANG PASTE?
I used this gochujang paste by O-Food. If you don’t have access to it (or any other gluten free ones) where you live, you can always use other types of chilli pastes. I know some people use Sriracha or even Franks’s original red hot sauce instead. It’s not the same flavour of course, but I bet it still tastes great!
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- Ramen style noodles (I used my gluten free Chinese egg noodles recipe)
- 200g frozen prawns
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 4-5 spring onions
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 2 handfuls beansprouts
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil or fat of your choice (I used lard)
- 50g (about 2 heaped Tbsp) GF Korean gochujang paste (*see tips for substitutes)
- 1 Tbsp shaohsing wine (*see tips for substitutes)
- 2 Tbsp GF soy sauce (I use Datu Puti)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp honey
Directions
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl; the gochujang paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, shaohsing wine and honey. Set aside.
PREPARE THE OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- If using frozen prawns, let them soak in a bowl of warm water until the defrost / are soft. This is optional, but you can then cut little slits along their backs which allows more flavour to get inside when cooked.
- Finely chop the spring onions, garlic, chilli and ginger.
BOIL THE NOODLES:
If using my Chinese egg noodles recipe:
- Bring a large pan of water to boil with a good dash of salt.
- Once the water reaches boiling point, add the noodles. Note: make sure the water reaches boiling point before adding the noodles. This is an essential part of cooking good pasta or noodles.
- Start your timer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Fish them out with a strainer (or carefully drain in a colander).
- Add the freshly cooked noodles into a large bowl and stir in the gochujang sauce until they’re all evenly coated. This will also stop them from sticking together while you prepare the rest.
If using rice noodles / vermicelli:
- Boil some water in a kettle.
- Add your rice noodles into a large bowl and pour the hot water on top, enough to completely cover the noodles.
- Let them soak there for a few minutes, until soft.
- Then drain them and add them back into the bowl along with the gochujang sauce. Stir to evenly coat the noodles. This will also stop them from sticking together while you prepare the rest.
FRY THE NOODLES:
- Season your wok: turn the heat up to the highest setting and warm up your wok until very hot. Then add some cooking oil (I used lard, but you can use vegetable oil too) and tilt the wok in a circular motion so the sides are completely covered in a thin layer. Once you reach smoking point, discard the oil (you can give it a a quick wipe with a paper towel, but don’t wash or rinse it). Then you’re good to go. This is an important step to make sure the food won’t stick.
- Add a bit of cooking oil or lard again and fry the prawns for a few minutes until fully cooked.
- Then add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry briefly until fragrant.
- Throw in the spring onions and beansprouts and fry for a minute or so.
- Finally, add the noodles and fry for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan constantly to move the noodles about and mix everything properly (without breaking the noodles).
- Serve with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh spring onions on top
Hope you enjoy them. 🙂
Kimi x
