5.26.26 | Noodles Are the Spice of Life

Day off, a cool breeze in the air, clouds overcast, napping poodle on the couch, Bowie's Aladdin Sane spinning round and round. Time for some spicy noodles. Today it's thick and chewy udon noodles in a spicy gochujang honey glaze with some ground bison, mushrooms, and green onions. If you haven't had udon noodles before, they usually come precooked in vacuum pack bags, thick, chewy, and most importantly for a Sunday afternoon, easy.

Udon come in different thicknesses. I say the thicker the better. I like ‘em thick and chewy as a Senko soft plastic worm bait. I don't know how good they are at catching bass, but they got me hooked. (Get it? Get it?)

Becca and I like to cook on our days off, so I picked up some stinky cheese from Meg, Becca picked up a bottle of red and we set off to prep some veggies. Mushrooms, onions, garlic, ginger, scallions. The store was out of bok choy so we just bumped up the mushrooms and onions. I also couldn't find the super thick udon, so I found a medium thick brand that slurp up just the same. I mix up a mess of soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, honey and gochujang.

All the recipes I make at home don't follow any hard and fast rules, so feel free to sub. Sub soy for aminos, sub oyster sauce for plum sauce, rice vinegar for a splash of that good Chinese black vinegar, honey for sugar, take the gochujang out completely–just make sure the sauce tastes good before it goes in the pot. Also, if you switch vinegar, they don't all switch 1:1: Chinese black vinegar has a much higher acidity than rice wine, so maybe use less. Use whatever tastes good to you or what's in the back of the cupboard.

The noodles get a quick dunk in boiling water just to reinvigorate and then they’re set aside in a mixing bowl. The bison goes in the pan, brown it, crumble it up, drain it and remove it from the pan. I just put it in the same bowl as the udons. Then the pan goes back on the heat and in go the vegetables. Mushrooms, onions and any hearty veggies you choose to use, like carrots or bok choy. Give 'em a stir, cook them almost to the doneness you like and remove from the pan into your bison and noodle bowl. Now with your pan on medium-low, you may need just a splash of oil, then add in your aromatics like garlic and ginger. Keep 'em moving. Don't burn your garlic!

Once your aromatics are aromatic add your veg, bison, and noodles back into the pan. Give it all a slight mix and pour in your sauce. Keep it moving. Try not to breathe over the pan as the gochujang fumes will take your breath away. That's it really, just make sure everything is coated and that the sauce is the thickness you like and you're all done.

I dare you to try to pour this mix from the frying pan into a couple of bowls without spilling anything on to the counter top. It's not possible. But however you get it into your bowls, top each with green onions, maybe some sesame seeds, bean sprouts, or chili crunch and you're good to go. 

From there it's all chopsticks and smacking lips. Jellybean will be begging with those big sad eyes and maybe a paw delicately placed on my knee to remind me she's still there and still very very hungry. Sorry poodles, no noodles for you. If they're spicy enough for me, they're way too spicy for you. Then its kick back, feet up, 80's action flicks as I dose softly off into the couch, visions of chili peppers dancing through my head.

Try it out, make your own tweaks, make it spicy, enjoy it.

Spicy Sunday Noods

2 packs udon noodles

• you want the fresh kind that are vacuum sealed.

• And you want em thicc.

1⁄2 lb ground bison

• Use whatever you want. Shrimp, tofu, chicken, whatever just try to keep the proportions

the same.

1 tsp grated ginger

2 cloves garlic

• Rough chopped, no finer than that

2 large handfuls of veggies

• Any kind will do.

2 TB oil, for cooking

Some green onions, sesame seeds or bean sprouts for garnish

For the sauce:

2 1⁄2 TB soy sauce

2 TB oyster sauce

2 tsp gochujang

• Or more

2 tsp honey

1 TB mirin

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1. Follow the directions for your noodles. Usually just a quick boil to revitalize, strain and

rinse.

2. Chop all your veggies

2. Mix up the sauce ingredients

3. Saute your bison, if using.

4. Remove from the pan, add veggies, saute until about half way done and set aside.

5. I like to add in a touch more oil and fry the garlic separately, and you could also add in your

ginger here.

6. Keep your pan on low and don't burn your garlic, just give it some color.

7. Keep it moving in the pan. Now add in your meat, veggies, noodles, and sauce mix.

8. Turn up the heat just a touch.

9. Make sure the mix coats everything well and allow to reduce just a bit to become a glaze.

10. Adjust spice and salt.

11. Dish up.

12. Garnish.

13. Yum!

—Chef Matt