10-min Spicy Sesame Noodles

If you’re looking for yet another easy noodle recipe, these spicy sesame noodles are the best for week night dinners and meal prep. It’s also vegan AND gluten free.

These simple sesame noodles is really a simple dish that uses only pantry staples. It also made me realize that we are always finding ways to simplify what we eat because firstly:

1. We are always pressed for time.

Whether it’s going to work everyday or managing your workload with family commitments or simply because we fall prey to the hustle culture that we tend to ignore what our body needs to function and give us an optimal amount of energy. Eating a simple home cooked meal always hits the spot!

2. More ingredients = more expensive!

Okay, I’m definitely someone who spends on groceries because well…I do lots of recipe testing! But if a meal can be made with staple ingredients and I don’t have to go out of the way to get an important ingredients that the dish just won’t taste good without, I’m happy.

For this recipe, feel free to add on any vegetables or protein for a more balanced meal and for it to be extra filling. I find that having plain ramen noodles in your pantry really helps when you find yourself too tired to cook. I also make sure the ramen noodles don’t contain any preservatives and are made with wheat flour, water, salt only.

Pantry Staples You Need

This recipe is really pantry friendly. If you cook Asian recipes often, you must have these ingredients already.

Here are some staples I use for many dishes:

• Soy Sauce (Gluten Free Options below)
• Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce (Substitute for Oyster Sauce) – not needed for this recipe though!
• Rice Wine Vinegar / Mirin / White Vinegar
• Chinese Sesame Paste or Tahini
• Toasted Sesame Oil
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Spring Onions
• Chili Oil

Gluten Free Option

For a gluten free option, swap out regular wheat-based ramen for brown rice ramen or rice noodles.

Remember to use a gluten free alternative to soy sauce, such as a gluten free version. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten free.

I really like the ones below by Lee Kum Kee and Kikkoman. I have also attached the images of other gluten free soy sauce alternatives like Tamari and Coconut Aminos below. You can get them at Amazon or your local Asian grocery store.