A couple of weeks ago, our friend Cara came over and made us some miso braised cabbage and gochujang pasta, and after eating it, I realized a gochujang pasta would be PERFECT for this series. She used bowtie pasta, which was delish, but I realllly wanted to use udon noodles for this recipe. There’s just something about those thick, round noodles that hit the spot.

I bought some Udon noodles, only to discover they weren’t quite Udon at all? I mean, maybe they are a different kind of udon I am not aware of, but they were neither thick nor round. But alas, I trekked on, because I do not like to waste food.

EDIT: sharing a note I received from someone about the noodles I used: “You used hoshi (dried) udon, which are still udon, but definitely flatter and not as chewy. The kind you were looking for are called nama (raw) udon and are usually found in the freezer section.”

So, when you make this recipe, you can certainly use udon, but the good news is, it’s flexible. You can use any type of noodle you see fit, including ramen, spaghetti, etc. Heck, you can even use bowties!

I modified her recipe a little bit and channeled an alla vodka preparation, where the Gochujang replaces the tomato paste. She also used a knob of butter at the end, which I meant to do but forgot. It certainly would add some richness, and I think next time I’ll try it that way.

I also added an egg on top because I like to make these meals full meals with at least a little bit of protein. You can double the amount of eggs if you want to amp that up.

Gochujang, for those who may not be familiar, is a Korean fermented chili paste. It’s spicy and sweet and oh-so tasty. You can find it in a local Asian market, but they also have it at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and many other local big-box grocery stores!