It takes less than 30 minutes to make these and they are sought after in my house during summers. I use juicy summer zucchini and light protein such as shrimp to make them more hearty. I simply love the combination of shrimp and zucchini together! You can spiral the zucchini if you wish, in fact if you want you can make them just with zucchini spirals(noodles) for a light meal. Gochujang is made by slowly fermenting gochugaru chili flakes and the long process of fermentation makes the chile develop a savory umami taste. It is subtly sweet and depending on the brand, the heat levels can vary- it is definitely not fiery, rather an unbelievably versatile condiment in my kitchen to pep up almost anything! Why I love these noodles so much besides the fact that they are noodles 🙂
You can adjust the sour, spicy or sweet levels to your liking. It can be easily made vegetarian using extra firm tofu strips or mushrooms. Takes less than 30 minutes to make, even lesser if you use fresh noodles like I do. Its a balanced meal - carbs, protein and vegetables all in one.
Below are the substitutions you can do to make this recipe fit different dietary needs.
For gluten-free version- use flat rice noddles instead of the wheat ones. Many gochujang pastes available in the market are GF, check label before buying. Use tamari instead of soy sauce. Use any kinds of vegetables instead of zucchini. Broccoli, napa cabbage, mushrooms all work great. Instead of soy sauce use tamari or liquid aminos. Use thinly sliced chicken breast strips if you don’t want to use seafood. Use tofu or mushrooms for a meat free version. Instead of coconut sugar, add maple or agave for a more smoky taste. If you dont have shallots at home, use thinly sliced red onions.
