These fiery Korean Spicy Glass Noodles are drenched in the legendary Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Flavour Sauce. It’s chewy, springy, stretchy, and you can make it as hot as you want! Ready to slurp in 30 minutes and guaranteed to set your mouth on fire.
Make This Recipe If…
- You love spicy food: Adjust these Korean-style spicy glass noodles for your own personal heat tolerance. Add enough of the buldak hot sauce, and they’ll prove a match for any spice lover.
- You’re cleaning out the fridge: Great way to use up leftover bits of vegetables, tofu, or whatever protein you want to get rid of.
- You’re short on time: Cook these fiery hot noodles in the time it takes to boil pasta. And it’s a one-pot recipe too. Less time spent on clean-up!
Ingredients + Substitutions
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in these Spicy Glass Noodles:
Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Flavor Sauce: If you’ve had Samyang Buldak Instant Noodles before, you know that stuff is HOT AF. They also make a bottled hot sauce, which is the same sauce, but in a concentrated little bottle. You can use it to make your own noodles as hot as you want. Note that the sauce uses artificial chicken flavor, which is confirmed to be plant-based. So these noodles are suitable for vegans and vegetarians too! (This recipe is not sponsored by Samyang or any other product, I just like their sauce a lot!)
Wide Glass Noodles: Glass noodles, aka sweet potato noodles, are used in Asia to make dishes like Japchae and Fish Ball Noodle Soup. But those recipes usually call for thin or medium-width noodles. Wide glass noodles are usually only found in Hot Pot. But they’re also delicious and satisfying when coated in a spicy, luscious sauce like the one in this recipe. You can substitute with other thick noodles—rice noodles, udon noodles or even tagliatelle pasta work great!
Toppings: You can get creative with the toppings here. I like to sprinkle on some Nori Komi Furikake, chopped scallions or cilantro (whatever I have on hand), and handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese (I use Daiya Shreds). Unique out of East Asian cuisines, Korean recipes like to add cheese to their cooking. It’s genius really.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Add glass noodles and cold water to a stock pot. Cover and bring to a simmer.
Step 2: Once the noodles are close to cooked, stir in the rice cakes, tofu, and hot sauce.
Step 3: Keep cooking until most of the water evaporates. You’re left with thick, bright red spicy sauce clinging to the noodles.
Step 4: Plate the noodles and top with furikake, scallions, and shredded cheese (if desired).
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
Fridge: Let the noodles cool down to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days. The noodles will be softer the next day because they absorb sauce as they sit. For best meal prepping results, undercook the noodles slightly (by a minute or two) to help preserve some of their springy texture when reheated.
Freezer: I haven’t tried freezing this recipe yet.
What to Serve with Spicy Buldak Glass Noodles
Make sure to eat something mild like Hiyayakko, Lemon Rice Soup, or Coconut Milk Bread before trying these fiery hot noodles. Unless you’re accustomed to capsaicin, spicy foods can wreak havoc on an empty stomach.
Other Asian recipes like Tomato Tofu, Bitter Melon Soup, Chal Bap Sticky Rice, and Shichimi Togarashi Potatoes are great sides to pair with spicy glass noodles.
I also recommend having a Taro Bubble Tea or some Chinese Coconut Drink on hand to quench the heat!
Recipe FAQs
Samyang hot sauce is called buldak or “fire” for a reason. It’s super spicy! Just one tablespoon of the stuff added to a serving a noodles is enough to set most people’s mouths on fire. It’s a very concentrated hot sauce and one of the ingredients is chili extract, which is basically pure capsaicin. Capsaicin is what gives foods their spiciness.
Korean glass noodles, also known as dangmyeon or sweet potato noodles, are made from sweet potato starch and have a translucent appearance when cooked. They’re known for their unique springy, chewy texture rather than their taste. They don’t have much of a taste on their own, with even less flavour than other noodles like wheat noodles or soba noodles. That’s why they’re often paired with a flavourful sauce like in Japchae, or a savoury broth like in Hot Pot. They’re great at absorbing the flavors of the ingredients and seasonings they are cooked with.
Despite the name “glass noodles,” they don’t actually contain glass, thank God! The name refers to their transparent appearance when cooked. The most common type of glass noodles is made from sweet potato starch, but there are also glass noodles made from mung bean starch or potato starch. These noodles are popular in various Asian cuisines, mainly Korean and Chinese cooking.
Buldak noodles, also known as fire noodles, are renowned for their intense spiciness, and this is achieved through the use of potent chili extract. Chili extract is basically pure capsaicin, which is the compound that gives foods their spiciness. This gives Buldak noodles their reputation for being extremely hot, making them a popular choice for those who enjoy a spicy culinary experience.
More Noodle Recipes
This recipe is part of my Sweet Potato Noodles 3 Ways video where I show you how to cook with thin sweet potato noodles (Japchae), medium glass noodles (Vegan Fish Ball Soup), and thick glass noodles (this recipe).
Recipe Card
Did you make this recipe? Please consider leaving a rating below to let me know how you liked it.
You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @earthtoveg, I will shout you out in my Stories!
Spicy Glass Noodles with Buldak Hot Sauce
Use Imperial/Metric buttons below to toggle between volume vs weight measurements. I recommend weighing out your ingredients for best results.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3 oz dry wide glass noodles see Note 1
- 4 oz tofu, rice cakes, or veggie balls *optional
- 1 to 3 tbsp Samyang Buldak Hot Sauce approx. 1 to 2 packets of sauce from the instant ramen packs
- Salt or soy sauce to taste; see Note 2
Optional Toppings
- 1 tbsp Homemade Furikake Seasoning
- Scallions or cilantro
- Cheddar cheese I use Daiya Shreds
Instructions
- Add wide glass noodles and water to a stock pot or deep skillet over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on how soft you like your noodles; see Note 1).
- Once noodles are nearly cooked, add the tofu, rice cakes, veggie balls, and hot sauce.
- Stir frequently to prevent noodles from sticking, until most of the water has evaporated and you’re left with a thick sauce.
- Plate and top with furikake, scallions or cilantro, and cheese (if desired).
Video
Notes
- Glass Noodles: I prefer using wide glass noodles for these fiery noodles. They’re much more satisfying to slurp. If using thinner glass noodles, they will cook faster so reduce the simmering time.
- Salt or Soy Sauce: Depending on how much buldak hot sauce you add, you may need to add some additional salt or soy sauce.
Tried this for lunch today. It was P.H.E.N.O.M.E.N.A.L. I only added 1 tbsp of hot sauce because I’m a wuss, but made up for it with soy sauce. So good!!!