Ooooh lawdie. Dragon Noodles is my new favorite quick fix! It takes about 15 minutes, is totally rich, flavorful, and SUPER SPICY. Like, “burn a hole through your stomach” spicy. Call me crazy, but sometimes I want that. No, I crave that.
So, this one goes out to all of you heat seekers!
The simple sauce for this recipe uses only pantry staples and perfectly balances sweet, salty, and spicy. The richness of the butter helps smooth everything out, cilantro adds a fresh note, and the green onions lend a savory back note. It all just works and it happens to be incredibly simple. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.
I made a small two serving batch because I just wanted something quick and easy. You could easily scale this up, if needed. If you want a heartier dish, try using two eggs rather than just one. Also, I used two tablespoons of butter, which made for a very rich and delicious sauce, but I suspect that it would still be amazing if you cut the butter in half.
If you can’t find the same noodles that I used, don’t fret. You could make this with ramen type noodles or even regular linguine. The noodles are just the vehicle for all of the other yummy ingredients!
Dragon Noodles
- 4 oz. lo mein noodles $1.13
- 2 Tbsp butter $0.20
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper $0.02
- 1 large egg $0.25
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce $0.02
- 1 Tbsp sriracha (rooster sauce) $0.08
- 1 handful fresh cilantro $0.22
- 1 sliced green onion $0.06
- Begin to boil water for the noodles. Once the water reaches a full boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil for 5-7 minutes).
- While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.
- In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper to the butter as it melts. Whisk an egg in a bowl and then add to the melted butter. Stir gently and cook through. Once the egg is done cooking, turn off the heat.
- When the noodles are tender, drain the water and then add them to the skillet with the cooked egg. Also add the prepared sauce. Turn the heat on to low to evaporate excess moisture, and stir until everything is coated well with the sauce. Sprinkle the sliced green onions and cilantro leaves (whole) on top and serve!
See This Recipe in Action (double batch):
Step By Step Photos
These are the noodles that I used, but you could use any other kind. Ramen or regular linguine would probably be good too. I used half of this 8 oz. pack for two servings. Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
While waiting for the pasta water to boil, mix up the sauce. Stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the crushed red pepper to the butter as it melts.
Whisk the egg in a bowl…
Pour the whisked egg into the melted butter and gently stir until cooked. If the noodles are not done cooking yet, turn the heat off on the skillet so that the eggs don’t over cook.
When the noodles are finished cooking, drain the water off and then add them to the skillet along with the prepared hot sauce.
Turn the heat on to low to help evaporate excess moisture and stir everything to coat it in the sauce. Lastly, sprinkle the sliced green onion and cilantro leaves over top. I didn’t even bother to chop the cilantro. Deeeelish!
I bet some thinly sliced jalapeños would give you some nice addditinal heat!
I really need to thank you for this recipe! This month alone I have probably made this for my boyfriend and myself at least 4 times. It so simple and tasty! Plus it is easy to add in whatever veggies and protein you have on hand!
I also want to say I love your blog. I love that you have simply, inexpensive and most importantly HEALTHY recipes. I am trying to be better about our budget and get some debts paid off. With that being said I have noticed that when people start to make cuts on groceries they also make sacrifices on the quality of their food. It is nice to that you show people you don’t have to eat highly processed food 24/7 to save money!
Coming back to this favorite recipe after a long time! I subbed the egg for paneer today and it was wonderful. It impacts the price, of course but not by much if you purchase from an Indian grocery. Thanks for this recipe! Got me through my noodles obsession during pregnancy!
I forgot the egg, and added julienned green and red bell pepper. It was amazing. Perfect balance of spicy and sweet. Amazing and sooo easy
I can’t wait to make this, this week!
Has anyone made this dish with shrimp?
Should I steam/saute, then add after cooking the whole dish?
Thanks in advance!
Here is my Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodle recipe. :)
I love this! I don’t know what I did differently, but mine wasn’t very spicy at all, just a little kick. Which is good, cause I can’t handle the heat!
Discovered a tip recently for cooking noodles going around, where you start them in cold water in a frying pan and they cook faster. Tried it tonight with batch #2 of Dragon Noodles, and it worked great. And only one pan to clean up! When the noodles were mostly done, I transferred them to my plate and started cooking the egg. Then I put the noodles back together in the pan with a handful of spinach. Worked great and is now my go-to midnight snack meal!
Oh, I realize what I did – I left out red pepper flakes. Oh well, more delicious for me!
This is absolutely delicious!! Used ramen instead of lo mein noodles and I practically licked the bowl. Will definitely be making this again and again and again!!
This is now a go-to sauce for me! I usually double or triple the sauce ingredients and add a little water or broth for a big batch of stir fry. I also make the noodles with some chicken and a squeeze of lime and crushed peanuts on top, and it satisfies my frequent Pad Thai cravings in a pinch.
Omg this was SO GOOD. I hardly ever make Asian food because it always turns out funky for me, unappetizing. Made this for me and the bf and it’s amazing. Ate way too much of it and still wanted more. Added veg+shrimp too. THANK YOU FOR THIS GENIUS
@Claire Your welcome.
This dragon sauce is amazing! I used this as a marinade for grilling tofu and it is STUPENDOUS! Thanks!!
I just want to say thank you for this recipe!! I’ve made it countless times for my family, and it’s always a success (plus we always have most of the ingredients on hand!). Great job!
Beth, I just want to say that I have made these probably HUNDREDS of times since 2012! I use the sauce in everything — frozen Costco yakisoba noodles, cup o noodles, leftover chow mein — so good! Even my husband loves Dragon Noodles, and he’s the kind of guy who would be happy eating taco bell tacos for the rest of his life
How have I not made this until now? SO delicious! Thank you! Perfect amount of spice and super easy to make.
Okay, these noodles are awesome. I just made this with some rice stick noodles that have been haunting the back of my cupboard to keep myself from ordering takeout. Aaaaaand now I’m probably gonna make this every night this week. I highly recommend adding a little bit of peanut butter, and a dash of fish sauce. Also threw in some spinach with the egg, so…healthy? But seriously, this was super easy and quick, and used mostly pantry ingredients. If I make this again when I come home drunk from the bar tonight, I think you all will know why.
Yep. These are good. Made 4 servings for the hubby and I….we ate all of it for dinner. No leftovers :(
I love you so much – I mean what you do. I have a separate Pinterest Board just for Budget Bytes. Thank you Thank you!
Awww, thank you!!
Oh, and by the way, I use Trader Joe’s sriracha. Tons of flavor, but probably half the heat. That way, all the family can eat it, and boy, do they ever!
Great tip about Trader Joe’s sriracha. I love the stuff but my 5 and 7 year old…not so much. I’m going toTJ’s today to buy their version. Thanks!
Mmmmm num num num num num mmmmmmmmmmm!
This was amazing! (as always). I used whole grain linguini (no lo mein on hand) and made it without egg. I made myself stir fry veggies on the side, then I realized I could have put the veggies inside with the noodles as a substitute for the egg! Oh well. I will do that next time and try using instant ramen for the noodles. :) Warning it’s spicy, but if you can like spicy it’s heaven on a plate.
This is the bomb. I too have used spaghetti, linguini, rice noddles, udon, soba… they all work. The best part is that it’s so fast, and uses only pantry staples. It’s a perfect “I need food right now what do I have” dish.
This recipe is one that made me a believer. I make everyone in my life dragon noodles. Tonight I had an idea to make some of the sauce and slap in on some pineapple before grilling it. The results were really awesome! I bet it would be get on peaches or mangos too, or even oven roasted! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Ooooh, you’re so right about the fruit! I had a pizza once with sriracha marinated pineapple on it and it was amazing!
If you’re like me and travel frequently, you have plenty of ramen but no fresh eggs. If you skip the eggs, make sure you add butter to the sauce. I tried it with and without. “With” definitely elevates it!
Made this last night and it was a hit! I used an 8 oz package of lo mein so I duouble the egg, butter and red pepper flakes. I also added a head of bok choy for some crunch and extra veggies. I tripled the sauce and it was perfect
I added tofu and red peppers and skipped the eggs. I also quadrupled the sauce, seared two packages of tofu cut in cubes then let the tofu simmer in the sauce awhile before adding noodles and veggies. I also added ginger and garlic to the sauce. My kids ate this up, what a great base recipe as is, but also for mixing things up a bit!