Spicy Dragon Noodles
Oh WOW. These Dragon Noodles are my new favorite quick fix! They only take about 15 minutes to make, they’re 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!
15-Minute Spicy Dragon Noodles
Flavor Balance is Key
The simple sauce for this recipe uses only pantry staples (soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha), which perfectly balance the sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. 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. And that’s how I like my food.
Small Batch Dragon Noodles
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.
What Type of Noodles Should I Use?
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!
Want to take it up a notch? Try my Dragon Noodle Variations: Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles, or Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles.
Dragon Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 oz. lo mein noodles ($1.13)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 1/4 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)
Instructions
- 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!
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Spicy Dragon Noodles – 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 am slow to the party, but I made this for the first time last night. I love this basic and adaptable recipe. I made mine vegan by subbing vegan butter (could leave it out but it does add richness) and leaving out the egg. I think I tripled the sauce recipe, LOL. I didn’t have any brown sugar in the house so I subbed some agave nectar and maple syrup. This is a great recipe for using up odds and ends. I finished off an open package of udon noodles and added some stir-fried onion, red bell pepper, frozen broccoli, edamame, and sriracha tofu. I topped with the cilantro, green onions, and then added a drizzle of sesame oil and unsalted roasted peanuts. So dang good. With the added veggies, I had plenty for leftovers for lunch today. I can’t wait to dig in at my desk!
Making this for the 397th time tonight! It is our absolute favorite! A constant go-to. The only thing I do different is double the sauce but not necessarily the Sriracha. And add chicken. Soooooooo good! THANK YOU!!!
How would you adapt this for someone who does not love a lot of spice but still be sure you have enough sauce?
You could certainly omit the sriracha to start and see what you think. You’ll still have plenty of sauce.
Does this hold up well in the freezer?
I’m not sure this will freeze too well, though, because it just doesn’t have enough moisture in it. I feel like it would dry out rather quickly in the freezer. It’s worth a shot, though!
I added boiled peanuts and it sent the flavor sky high!!
Oh that sounds like a delicious addition!
Put off making this for a long time because the butter/soy combination seemed odd to me. However my son brought his new girlfriend over for dinner and I didn’t know she was a vegetarian till the last minute. Thought of this as I had all the ingredients and it was super quick. Everyone loved it and it has been requested several times since. Way better than lukewarm, overly salty takeout!! Thanks for one if the best recipes I’ve found in a long time. You have a new fan of your blog.
Way to think quickly on your feet Jan! Happy to hear you found something for everyone. We’re glad you found us!
I used to make this in undergrad out of financial necessity, but I continue to make it out of love for this meal 🙂 I like that it’s so customizable. Thanks for great recipes!
I love this! Glad to hear it’s still a favorite.
Made this for the millionth time last night. Absolutely my favorite pregnant craving. I cooked a little shrimp before adding the egg to the butter/pepper mixture. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
Congratulations Rachel! Love adding the shrimp too.
Gave it fie stars because I love all your recipes in general. Loved the flavors, for my taste would have liked more sauce, what could I add to make it more saucy and not loose the basic flavor. Am a huge fan and have given your book to all college grads in our family as a starter gift. Thank you, Beth!
Thank you Stella!
My sister would make these amazing egg noodles in my childhood, and it was only soysauce and a TON of butter. When I went to college I sometimes would make this simple butter+soy sauce recipe, and I remember a friend when he tried it was extremely impressed (by something so basic!). Obviously, butter+soysauce is not the best recipe on the planet, and I as I grew more experienced with soysauce would try to learn how to “upgrade it” to have more complex flavors without losing what made it so great. But my experiements never turned out very great, and only really downgraded the thing as a whole. Thank you for this recipe, as I think it is the “complete” version of something I’ve been searching for a long time. Its a very balanced dish that has that nostalgic flavor it it! Thanks
That’s great Steve! Thanks for sharing!
Loved it! So easy and delicious. Never going back to regular ramen.
Wahoo!!
Perfect no need to go shopping recipe, great in a pinch and customizable!
Thanks Aviva!
Ok, this kept coming up on my Pinterest and during a lazy day when I really didn’t want to cook, I decided to come back to it to make it for a quick lunch. I stuck to the basics, but I love that it’s such a versatile recipe because you can add any protein and veggies you want. Will definitely make this again! Used spaghetti because it was all I have and while I would prefer this with an Asian noodle, it was still amazing.