Following a recipe can often feel like navigating a minefield – lengthy lists of unfamiliar ingredients, specialist kitchen gadgets that cost an arm and a leg, and step-by-step instructions laden with culinary jargon that necessitates a Google translation.
However, not all recipes are created equal; some manage to be straightforward, speedy, and packed with flavour without the fuss.
One such dish, recently crowned champion by The New York Times, is just that. It’s been skyrocketing in popularity and racking up five-star ratings at a rate that’s causing a stir among home cooks globally.
This isn’t another convoluted dinner idea requiring a plethora of exotic ingredients or hours of preparation – no slaving over the stove here.
What sets Eric Kim’s Gochujang Buttered Noodles apart is their ability to strike a flawless balance between sweet, savoury and spicy, all without a heap of hassle, reports the Express.
It packs a real flavour punch while only calling for six ingredients, none of which will have you raiding your savings.
Food bloggers have been going wild for this recipe, and with a solid five-star rating from more than 9,616 reviews on The New York Times, it has earned the title of the newspaper’s highest-rated recipe.
At the core of the dish lies the titular gochujang, a Korean fermented red chilli paste that’s become a kitchen essential across many East Asian households, though this fiery condiment has been surging in popularity on British shores as well. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and numerous other supermarket chains now carry the seasoning, offering both branded and own-label varieties across many stores.
A very simple spaghetti or noodle dish is one of the highest rated of all time -Credit:Getty
So what makes this such a showstopper?
It delivers everything you crave when you’re knackered, famished, and need supper quickly, yet refuse to compromise on quality.
One delighted home cook who attempted the recipe just last week shared: “Wow. This was SO good. I used Mike’s hot honey, which added a great extra kick to the sweetness of the dish.
“I also added sautéed spinach just for a little green veg and served it with a piece of chicken. The sauce was so good on the chicken! ! I definitely got more servings out of this by adding to it.”
Meanwhile, another contributor said: “Made this last night and it was just gorgeous! I ended up adding a bit too much honey, which made it quite sweet, but it actually worked quite well. 1000% would recommend making it and I’m going to make it again this week because it was just that good.”
The recipe to serve 4:
Start by bringing a large pot of water up to a boil, and add in around 500 grams of spaghetti and leave it to cook for as long as the packet suggests.
Once cooked, drain the spaghetti, keeping 1 cup of the starchy cooking water and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, melt 4 good tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over a medium-low heat.
Add 12 finely chopped cloves of garlic – this may seem insane, but its flavour soon mellows in the butter – and a good pinch of salt.
Gently fry for around three minutes until the garlic begins to soften and turn aromatic.
Now, add around four tablespoons of gochujang paste into the garlic butter, along with the same amount of honey and either sherry or rice vinegar.
Stir in and let it thicken up for around three more minutes.
Finally, add everything into the spaghetti pot along with a couple of splashes of pasta water and a further two more tablespoons of cold butter.
Constantly stir everything over a medium heat until the butter is melted and the sauce clings to the pasta noodles.
Finally, plate up and optionally top with spring onions or coriander.
Dining and Cooking