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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian

    5 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles

    Published: Feb 21, 2022 · Modified: Sep 6, 2022 by Sally · 4 Comments

    Jump To Recipe

    These sweet and spicy noodles come together in just 5 minutes making it the perfect quick and easy vegetarian meal for busy weeknights. Made using just a few ingredients and a healthy serving of vegetables for good measure, this is sure to be a recipe you’ll make over and over again!

    Bowl of noodles with large noodle pull with chopsticks.

    When in doubt about what to have for dinner, particularly on busy weeknights, I make noodles.

    But while noodles are usually pretty easy to make anyway, I really wanted a version that basically eliminated all the time spent in the kitchen. So for those days when the last thing you want to do is cook, this is the recipe to pull out.

    This recipe is a one pot situation and the veg can be added based on what you have in the fridge. Green veggies such as broccoli, kale, cabbage or snow peas would all work perfectly in place of the bok choy. But also, I have made this without any veggies when I really just needed saucy, spicy noodles and my fridge was pretty empty.

    It’s flexible, it’s optional, it’s a make it how you feel situation.

    I love this recipe when I want something cheap and easy without feeling like I have regressed into my university diet of mi goreng noodles. It’s budget food, but elevated. It is also vegetarian/vegan, dairy-free and can be easily made gluten-free as well.

    If you are anything like me, you will basically have everything you need already in your house to make these noodles, so next time you get home from work and start thinking about ordering takeaway instead of cooking, remember this recipe!

    all ingredients needed for vegetarian spicy noodles laid out.

    Key Ingredients

    I absolutely love this recipe because it uses such basic ingredients and is so flexible, you can really just use this as a guide and change it up and use whatever you have available.

    • Noodles – I really feel that this dish is best with dried instant noodles. You can buy huge packs of them in the Asian aisle of the grocery store for a few dollars OR you can simply use some of the 2 minute maggi noodles that I think everyone keeps in the pantry for emergency times (throw away that flavour packet first though!). 
    • Bok choy – use bok choy, pak choi or literally any greens you find in the bottom of your crisper (I’m looking at you well intentioned baby spinach/kale). You could also skip it but it’s good to sneak in some veggies. 
    • Sesame oil – honestly I think this is the key ingredient to making these noodles so good. I don’t recommend leaving it out or substituting. 
    • Brown sugar – gives the sauce that rich sweetness. 
    • Soy sauce – for the salty/savoury element.
    • Chilli sauce – for this version I used sambal oelek but I often use chilli and garlic sauce. You could also use sriracha. Adjust the amount based on how spicy you like your spicy noodles. 
    • Fried shallots and sesame seeds – this will give your noodle a little crunch and delicious extra flavour. 
    Sweet and spicy noodles in a bowl ready to eat.

    Step-By-Step Instructions

    You really don’t need much to make these noodles. The prep includes getting a pot of water on the boil, chopping up some greens and mixing together a super simple sauce.

    You can definitely make this recipe in a single pot. I decided to make it using two pans for the photos in this post, but honestly, it’s really not necessary.

    Once your water is boiling add in your noodles. Cook them according to the packet instructions depending on the type of noodles you’re using. If they are the standard dried instant noodles, they should only take 2 minutes to cook.

    Saucepan of water boiling the noodles and chopped bok choy in a frying pan.

    Add your chopped bok choy to the pan with about a tablespoon of the sauce mixture and saute for a minute or so until soft. Add in the drained noodles and the remainder of the sauce and toss through until all of the noodles are coated. 

    Step 2 and 3 of making the noodles. Bok choy in a frying pan and noodles and bok choy in the frying pan.

    Finish off with the totally optional but delicious toppings of fried shallots and sesame seeds for that extra flavour and crunch. 

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I make this without chilli?

    If you’re not a fan of spicy food and would rather make these noodles without chilli, simply omit the chilli and instead add a clove or two of crushed garlic.

    Close up of bowl of noodles with chopsticks.

    More easy noodle recipes:

    15 Minute Garlic Prawn Noodles
    Chicken Satay Noodles
    Spicy Pork and Peanut Noodles
    Charlie Chan Pasta: A Filipino Spaghetti

    5 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles

    These sweet and spicy noodles come together in just 5 minutes making it the perfect quick and easy vegetarian meal for busy weeknights. Made using just a few ingredients and a healthy serving of vegetables for good measure, this is sure to be a recipe you’ll make over and over again!
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian
    Prep Time: 1 minute
    Cook Time: 4 minutes
    Servings: 2 serves
    Author: Sally
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    Ingredients

    • 2 x 70-85gram packets of dried instant noodles
    • 1 cup bok choy chopped
    • fried shallots and sesame seeds to serve

    Sauce

    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or garlic and chilli sauce

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 2-3 minutes until they start to come apart and are soft. Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients together.
    • Drain the noodles and add the bok choy to the pan with a little of the sauce. Saute until just tender, before adding the noodles back into the pan with the sauce. Stir the sauce through the noodles and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened and completely coated the noodles.
    • Serve the noodles immediately topped with fried shallots and sesame seeds.

    Notes

    Gluten Free Option: Use your favourite gluten free noodles and replace soy sauce with tamari. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1030mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1564IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

    Have you made this recipe?Leave a comment and a rating below and tag your creations with #eightforestlane on Instagram!
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    More Vegetarian Recipes

    • Vegan Mac and Cheese (without cashews)
    • 10 Minute Peanut Butter Noodles
    • Vegetarian Curry Puffs
    • Healthy Corn Fritters (Gluten Free)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Robyn

      December 05, 2019 at 4:00 pm

      I am cooking noodles more and more and as an easy dinner option, and this looks perfect – I can’t wait to give it a go!

      Reply
      • Sally

        December 05, 2019 at 4:01 pm

        Thanks Robyn! They really are a great quick dinner option when you don’t want to compromise on flavour.

    2. Andrea

      December 04, 2019 at 1:30 pm

      Noodles are one of my favourite foods! The flavours in these ones are incredible and will make a regular appearance in my house. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sally

        December 04, 2019 at 1:45 pm

        Yay for noodle lovers! They are such an easy and delicious dinner.

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    Hi! I'm Sally and welcome to Eight Forest Lane. Here you will find easy and delicious recipes for any special dietary needs. Let me show you how to make cooking fun! 

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