I’ve wanted to do a series on Dragon Noodle variations for a while. The wildly popular original Dragon Noodle recipe is so simple that it’s the perfect jumping off point for several interpretations. You’ve all chimed in with your own favorite ways to personalize the recipe, so I thought I’d bring some of those ideas to life and give direction to those who are not ready to experiment on their own. First up, Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles! 👏👏👏 (that’s the crowd applauding, btw)
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This version is a great demonstration of three ways to customize the original recipe: switch out the protein, use a different type of noodle, and add to the sauce. So, I used shrimp for protein instead of egg this time around. While shrimp are just as easy to cook as eggs, they can be a little more expensive, so I also switched out my favorite wide lo mein noodles for a less expensive ramen (because once they get drenched in that spicy sweet sauce, who cares what kind of noodle it is, gnome sayin’??). Finally, I added some fresh lime juice to the sauce (and served it with wedges for squeezing over the noodles) to add freshness and help highlight the seafood flavor.
Can I Use a Different Type of Noodle?
Yep! I’ve made variations of my Dragon Noodles many types of noodles. My favorite are the wide lo mein noodles, but these inexpensive ramen noodles also work well. If you’re in a pinch you can even use regular pasta, although lighter egg noodles will probably be a better fit (and are also inexpensive).
Do I Have to Use Shrimp?
Nope. The original Dragon Noodle recipe uses scrambled eggs and I think that would work just as well here, and cut the cost even further.
How Spicy Are Dragon Noodles?
Dragon Noodles are VERY SPICY. They’re for spicy food lovers. If you want to lighten up the heat just a bit you can opt for half the amount of sriracha. If you want to make something like this with absolutely no heat, I suggest trying my Garlic Noodles recipe instead.
Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles
Servings 2 to 4 servingsIngredients
- 1/2 lb frozen peeled & deveined shrimp (51/70 size) ($3.00)
- 2 packs (3 oz. each) ramen noodles ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha ( $0.18)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 lime ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.18)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 green onions ($0.17)
- Handful fresh cilantro ($0.10)
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in a colander and rinse with cool water until thawed. Let the shrimp drain until ready to use.
- In a small bowl stir together the sriracha, soy sauce, brown sugar, and about 1 Tbsp juice from the lime. Set the sauce aside.
- Fill a medium sauce pot with water, place a lid on top, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the ramen noodles (without the flavoring packet) and continue to boil until the noodles are tender. Drain the noodles in a colander (if using the same colander for the shrimp, make sure to wash it with soap and water first).
- While waiting for the water to boil, mince two cloves of garlic. Add the butter and garlic to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until the garlic is soft (about one minute). Add the shrimp and continue to sauté until the shrimp turn pink and opaque (about 3-5 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Once the noodles have drained, add them to the skillet with the shrimp, then pour the prepared sauce over top. Toss the noodles in the sauce until everything is coated in sauce. Top the dragon noodles with sliced green onion, fresh cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of lime.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles – Step by Step Photos
Defrost 1/2 lb. of frozen peeled and deveined shrimp. They defrost quickly if you place them in a colander and run cool water over them. Let them drain until you’re ready to use them. I used 51/70 size, which I found to be just right for the noodles. “51/70” means there are on average between 51 and 70 shrimp per pound.
Next, prepare the Dragon Noodle dressing so it will be ready to go when you need it. In a small bowl stir together 2 Tbsp sriracha, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and about 1 Tbsp of lime juice. Save the rest of the lime to serve as wedges with the meal.
Bring a medium sauce pot full of water to a boil, then add two packages of ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet). Boil the noodles until tender, then drain in a colander. If you use the same colander to drain the noodles as you used to rinse the shrimp, make sure to wash it out with soap and hot water first.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, you can continue preparing the shrimp. Mince two cloves of garlic and add them to a large skillet along with 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium heat for about a minute, or just until it softens a bit and gets really fragrant, but doesn’t brown.
Then add the thawed and drained shrimp and continue to sauté until they turn pink and opaque. Shrimp cook really quickly, so this should only take a few minutes. If you continue to cook them, they will shrink and become very tough, so remove the skillet from the heat at this point.
Finally, add the cooked and drained noodles to the skillet and pour the sauce over top. Toss the noodles in the sauce until everything is coated.
Slice up a couple of green onions and pull a handful of cilantro leaves from the stems.
Sprinkle the green onions and cilantro over the noodles. Cut the remaining lime into wedges to serve with the noodles.
#dragonnoodlelove
Great recipe! Added chopped bok choy.and potstickers!
I have made this, and it’s very good and easy. In the past, I also enjoyed making just the dragon noodles as a stand-alone. There was a simple recipe for noodles with dragon sauce that I can no longer find. Is it just sriracha, soy sauce and brown sugar? Thanks!
It’s an archived recipe! I’ll email it to you now!
I made this for dinner and it was so good! I adjusted the sauce ratio a bit – 3 Tbs soy sauce, 3 Tbs brown sugar, 1 Tbs chili paste (sambal oelek) and kept the lime juice the same. It was the perfect amount of spiciness for me. Will definitely be making this again and plan to try it with other proteins.
I usually make this with shrimp or Spam, but have since gone mostly pescatarian. I’ve already done all my seafood and tofu for the week and am curious about your mention of scrambled eggs. If willing, can you share tips on adding eggs for this? Thanks as always.
Delicious and easy. My first time ever cooking shrimp- mine were a little larger just seared for full 5 min. I would add peanut butter to sauce next time and some sliced mushrooms, water chestnuts, snap peas (cooked separately before adding) maybe some broccoli also for veg!
This was super easy, inexpensive, and delicious! I can’t wait to have it again, everyone loved it.
Trying to save more money these days and this was a nice tasty lunch!
Delicious! I put less sriracha and add some veggies, depends on what I have at the moment (peas, edamames, spinach, brocoli, zucchini). Always good! Quick and easy :)
This was really good and super simple! Here are the changes I made:
1) didn’t have lime, so used 2 T of ponzu sauce instead of soy 2) added half a red onion because I had it on hand, along with 2 stalks of celery 3) added red chili flakes 4) reduced sugar to just 1 T 5) Used lo mein noodles. This was a very solid 2 servings, for me. Will make it again soon!
6) I also used cooked, tail-off shrimp, as that’s what I had on hand.
Huge Budget Bytes lover here but not a fan of this recipe at all. I almost never eat shrimp but I ended up with some and gave this recipe a try to use them up. I made a couple “improvements” to my tastes and still did not enjoy—swapped sriracha for chili garlic sauce and used stir fry rice noodles instead of ramen. I found the recipe one dimensional and almost one color. Not much texture and virtually flavorless except for the heat (though I wouldn’t call it “extremely spicy”—even fed it to a two-year-old who ate it with no issues, though I guess we’re a big spicy food eating family). I realized upfront that it didn’t have the vegetables I normally try to include in meals for health, but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss them for flavor and texture too. Health wise, I find there’s also too much salt and sugar for my dietary needs and no real nutritional benefits except the shrimp. I wish I had seen the comments first about adding broccoli, snow peas, or other vegetables. Anyway, this recipe is not for me, but I’d suggest adding vegetables.
Fantastic recipe. Add a tablespoon or so of peanut butter and it makes a fantastic, easy pad thai!
This was a delicious way to jazz up cheap ramen. It was in dire need of some veggies though, so I threw some julienned carrots and a diced up radish in with the noodles to soften them up since I was using leftover already cooked shrimp. I added a dash of McCormick chipotle chili powder for a nice smoky element to it. Next time I might cut the siracha by half though cause I’m not used to so much heat.
Very quick and very yummy. This is a flavorful and easy meal. Thanks!
This is my favorite of the dragon noodle versions, and a frequent go to lunch or dinner. Even better is that my picky kids love it too (with the Sriracha level toned down). I could eat it every day!
I’d flagged this recipe earlier, thinking to try it: Had it for supper tonight, and we were not disappointed!
I love how versatile this recipe is, very accepting of slight changes (added frozen green beans, used broken linguini for the noodles, added a drizzle of sesame oil to the cooked noodles just before tossing them into the skillet). Such a winner! my partner and I were almost silent throughout the meal other than to remark repeatedly how delicious the meal was.
I also love that this uses pantry ingredients for the most part.
My SO and I loved this! We did add a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables to make it a nutritionally rounded meal and used lo mein noodles like originally recommended but we’ll definitely be adding this to our meal rotation.
My mouth is on fire…but in a good way! Since we’re in quarantine I’m not keeping cilantro or green onions on hand, but I added steamed broccoli to add some green and round out the dish. I also halved the recipe since I just had 4 oz. of shrimp in the freezer to use up. It was the perfect sized dish for a good dinner.
A recommendation for dragon noodles is what originally brought me to this site years ago. I have so many favorites but come back dragon noodle variations again and again. Today, I used the poured the shrimp and sauce over shredded cabbage and it was amazing!
Thank you so much for another simple yet decadent recipe! Didn’t change anything on the recipe. It’s another keeper.
This was delicious! I was just trying to use up pantry ingredients, as well as a lime that was about to go bad. I used rice noodles bc that’s what I had on hand. I think I may use it again as a dipping sauce
This was delicious! Will make it again and again!
Found you through TFD. Looking forward to trying more recipes.
This is going to be my son and mine Valentine’s dinner tonight pair with some Corona’s and limes
We loved this quick easy delicious recipe. It almost reminded me of shrimp Lomein with a little kick to it with the Siracha. I did cut it down to only 1 TB. I also added zucchini zoodles to the pan for a balanced meal. I will make it again for sure!!!!
Oh awesome Rita! Zucchini noodles are becoming so versatile these days.
I made this recipe last night and it was good, but all my noodles stuck together. Any suggestions? Should I make more sauce, did I over boil the Ramen. My bottomless pit of a 10 year old ate almost the whole thing so I will have to double for sure next time.
Hmm, do you mean they stuck together after they were in the skillet? You might try rinsing them briefly with warm water just before they go in the skillet to loosen them up and remove some of the sticky starch.
This was so delicious. I didnt have lime, and used lemon instead but it still was DELICIOUS. You deserve the nobel cooking peace prize.
Ha thanks Amanda!
Made this tonight & it was delicious! A couple of adaptations, I chopped up broccoli to tiny pieces and added it to my boiling noodles and I didn’t have ramen noodles so used angel hair instead. Would make again!
Oh that sounds good! Great work Kassie!
This is a spicier (heat-wise) version than the Indian recipe I tried before. Definitely fulfills a craving for “heat” – my eyeballs weren’t sweating, but tongue and lips were tingling by the end :) You’d probably want to pair it with a sweetened drink or something else cooling. Once again, for kids or elderly parents I would use a little less sriracha. I think the addition of snowpeas would be a great way to up the veg content (if not the cost savings) but it tastes great as is with green onion, lime and (I skipped the soapy cilantro, lol!)
I love adding snowpeas!
I think this is a great base, but the recipe could be improved with the addition of some veggies. Next time, I will skip the extra step of cooking the shrimp in all that butter, and just stir fry it in sesame oil with the garlic and add the noodles and sauce straight into the wok. You can buy ramen noodles without the flavor packet at any Asian grocery store. I loved the spiciness of the dish!
Very delicious and easy to make! The only thing is I would double up on the sauce.
Doubled the sauce, added extra cilantro,:sesame seeds. & extra noodles (I used Lo Mein) phenomenal!, even have enough for lunch tomorrow!! So easy!!
This is like magic. Just a few ingredients and so little effort to put together, and quite tasty. I use gluten free pad thai rice noodles instead of ramen.
This recipe is so delicious. I made it a month ago and the kids love it. I’ve been asked to make this at least 3 other times! I might try it with eggs this next time around but the shrimp was very good with it! I even passed this recipe along to a coworker. I have most of these items in my home weekly so it was a good choice!
deliciousness
Delicious! I subbed garlic chili sauce for the Schiracha. (less than the schiracha as we don’t love super spicy), and subbed a skinny soba type noodle for the ramen. Otherwise, I followed the recipe and we have no left overs! Win Win!
Always delicious recipe,s. This one is a keeper! Thanks Beth!
Excited to try this one! Any suggestions on adding veggies? I’m thinking spinach and maybe broccolini, but would love to hear your suggestions!
Yep, both of those would be awesome, as would something like snow peas. Basically anything that usually goes into a stir fry would work well here. :)
Made this last night and my husband absolutely devoured it. I didn’t happen to have ramen noodles so I tried it with what I had in the pantry, which was linguine, and it still worked. I made double the sauce because it’s just that ridiculously delicious 😋 I love your recipes, Beth—I’m not a good cook and I’m not confident in the kitchen by any stretch, but your directions and step-by-step photos are so easy to follow and I’m usually very successful when I follow your recipes!
I made this tonight and while it had really good flavors, I think it could be better with udon noodles or at least something better than Top Ramen. Will definitely made again, though.
Thanks for posting, this is great! I added onion and celery and topped with peanuts! Loved it!
Could I swap the soy sauce for Worcestershire sauce? Also at the moment ALL i have is frozen shrimp that’s already cooked (what I get for sending my son to the grocery store lol) so jw if this would still work?
Also I’m NOT very familiar w Asian cuisines n proper flavors,etc, as I’m a southern gal from Alabama lol
Even though I’ve been cooking since i was 6
(35 now) n am an amazing cook, this cuisine as I said is new territory. So any & ALL info is much needed and welcomed!
BTW, this is SOOO VERY URGENT!!!!!
Wanted to make tonight
HELP PLZ LOL
I don’t think Worcestershire sauce would be that great here. It’s much sweeter than soy sauce, so it would totally change the flavor dynamic. You could use frozen cooked shrimp, though. Just make sure to make the sauté step super brief (just to warm it through) so the shrimp doesn’t overcook. :)
Just wanted to say that the flavors in this one are SO good. Very easy and quick to make. Added salted peanuts and avocado on top, it was BOMB :)
This recipe looks SO good, definitely going to make it. Thanks for sharing it!
My husband and I love this recipe! So much flavor and soooo easy. I’ve used chili garlic sauce and curry paste in place of the sira ha and they both taste awesome! Also added mushrooms and snap peas. Yummy! It’s became a regular weekly dinner in my house! Thank you!
This came out amazingly well despite having to make having to make a few adjustments for dietary issues. Gluten free low sodium tamari sauce, gluten free brown rice noodles, and a handful of julienned carrots and snap peas. Also doubled the sauce but reduced the spiciness for the kids. It still honestly tastes like something I’d get at an Asian restaurant, only I made it ,myself and made it gluten free.
Could you swap lemon for the lime? I have more lemons than I know what to do with.
I think lime is definitely better suited for this recipe.
pasta and shrimp a perfect mix for me, I adore this recipe.
Perfect quick meal! I added a scrambled egg and some wasabi peas as well which worked really nicely in contrast to the lime flavor. So delicious and perfect for spicing up college life. Thanks, Beth!
I’m in love with this recipe! Do you think that chicken could be easily swapped for the shrimp, or should the spices be adjusted as well? I have a few people in my family who can’t eat seafood, so an alternative would be much appreciated!
Yep, I think that would be an easy swap! :)
I really liked this recipe for it’s simplicity, but it was too spicy and too sweet for my taste. Next time I make it I will be reducing the siracha and sugar. Other than that I enjoyed it very much!
DEFINITELY A RE DO!!!! so delicious! I added fresh ginger to the ship and garlic and it was fantastic. Next time I’ll serve it with chopped peanuts on top. Way better than Chinese
Thanks for a great recipe. I made extra sauce because we like things saucy. Just the right amount of heat and the pop from the cilantro made for great flavours. I think the leftovers will be even better because the noodles will have absorbed the sauce.
Wow, is this good! As usual :) We ate it with a side of roasted honey balsamic Brussel sprouts.
I finally tried this recipe, and it’s great! I love that you have these fast, simple, “oh no I didn’t have time to get groceries” recipes, because that’s exactly the situation I was in yesterday. Didn’t have time to run to the store, but I did have cilantro and limes leftover from making a Mexican dish earlier in the week, and I had frozen shrimp and rice noodles stocked up. I realized later I could’ve added some scrambled eggs, but it was still good without them. The sauce is super easy to remember so it will become an “emergency” staple for me. To be sure I got all the sauce and sugar out of its mixing bowl, I picked up some noodles with my tongs and wiped the bowl. I think I’ll also add a little bit of sesame oil (1/4 to 1/2 tsp?) to the sauce – my boyfriend and I each added a couple drops to our bowls and it really tied everything together. A bit of peanut butter would be great too. So many options!
Oh, wow! I have found your blog just last week due to I have been looking for great recipes that won’t break the bank. I am so glad I found you! I tried this recipe and I thought I would just cook just enough for the 5 of us (me, husband and 3 boys) since every time I cook something new they tend to not eat a lot and I have a lot of leftovers. Well, I couldn’t believe it! My family was digging in like there was no tomorrow! It was a hit! This was so good even my husband who is picky said it was good! I will be trying more of your recipes soon :)
This was super easy & surprisingly flavorful! I added some snap peas for color (and just to have a veggie) and I used brown rice ramen (3 packages). It turned out excellent, although a bit too spicy for my 9 year old. Thanks for the recipe!
This was easy and delicious. I did add a spoon of smooth peanut butter to the sauce (It seemed to scream for it).
What kind of veggies do you think would go well with this recipe? Either as a base or a side.
I would probably do a cucumber salad or my Crunchy Asian Salad.
This recipe was delicious! Very good flavor and a nice heat. I love how you take pretty simple ingredients and turn it into something amazing. You need to put out a cookbook!
I have one! :D
I was ecstatic when I came across this website. I’m about to start a new job taking a serious pay cut and have been getting used to budget friendly recipes these last few months. I had a feeling this would turn out great, and I was right. I’ve never been one for ramen. Those salty noodles were always so offensive to my tastebuds. I’m glad to have found a recipe that that makes good use of such a cheap resource. These noodles were also a lot spicier than I originally anticipated. I’ve recently reignited my love affair with spicy foods and found it was quite pleasant, though not overwhelmingly hot. Next time I might even slip a little bit of gochujang in. So glad to have found this recipe! Can’t wait to try more!
I made this this with zucchini noodles, 1T (instead of 2T sriracha) and it was great! Make sure to drain zucchini noodles before adding sauce, or it will water it down!
I made this twice so far and it is so easy and so good!! The second time I ran out of Sriracha so I used garlic chilli sauce and it was still very good! Thanks for this recipe!
I wish I could speak multiple languages so I could THANK YOU in all of them. I just found Budget bytes for the first time today. I thought I died and went to recipe heaven. Not only are your recipes beautiful to look at, they are perfect for me! Right down to the saving money. I am 71 and on Social Security. Lately buying groceries is down right depressing. It seems like prices only continue to go up. I am not a Vegan. I am a carnivore by nature. Your recipes give me an affordable way to still enjoy the the meats I like with veggies that are very appealing to me. I also pinned some vegetarian recipes that I found very, very appealing. Thank you again for the recipes. I am actually looking forward to my next shopping trip. You ¨bulked¨ up my wallet AND my plate. Best wishes and keep testing. Barb.
Thank you Barb! That makes me so happy!!
Switched out the shrimp for chicken because of a food allergy and it was great!
I’ve been dying to try this. I finally ordered some specialty gluten free ramen from amazon. Just made this for dinner, and oh my god, it’s amazing. Dragon noodles are one of my favorite recipes, and this is an amazing version of it. I just wish the pack of GF ramen wasn’t 30 dollars for a pack of 8. Not quite the budget dinner, but sooo good.
Are there other types of gluten free pasta that are cheaper? It doesn’t have to be ramen! How about wide rice noodles? Those would be awesome with this. :)
I usually use rice noodles for these, but I was dying to try it with the texture of ramen noodles.
I bought organic millet and brown rice ramen noodles at Costco. I think there might have been 8 bars(?) Of noodles in it. Don’t remember the price but not that much. They are gluten free and vegan.
I made this with chicken and shrimp. Who would’ve thought something so simple could have so much flavor? Definitely a weekly staple from now on.
I have made this over and over for my family of 5 and it was phenomenal every time! It’s too bad the calorie content is so high. I want to try this with zoodles instead of ramen. I have my fingers crossed!
I’ve made these several times for my husband and daughter, and it’s always a hit. They’re a great sub if you’re craving pad Thai without making the house reek of fish sauce. One tip if you’re making it for young kids or anyone who doesn’t like spicy foods- I substitute ketchup for sriracha. I’m Asian, and it’s something my mom used to do in other sauces when we were young. It gives the sauce similar consistency and flavor without the heat. I also use canola oil instead of butter. Keep the recipes coming, Beth!
Love the recipe. I do this one with strained udon noodles, sea food mix (shrimp/squid/mussels), shiitake and onions. Delicious, cheap and easy.
This was fabulous! And so easy to make! Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe! This won the heart of my anti-seafood husband and our 2-year-old devoured the shrimp. (I knew the noodles would be too spicy for a toddler) We will definitely be making this recipe, and variations on it, regularly.
Apologies, this entire comment is just me venting about the price of shrimp in my area.
Ughhh, are you saying you can get a whole pound of shrimp for $6?! I went to my grocery store last night and every last shrimp option was terrible. I had to choose between the too-big ones, shell-on, not deveined, or the size I wanted, shelled and deveined, in a 3/4 bag for $9.99– and those were “on sale”!! I hate California food prices.
Can’t wait to try this recipe, though!
Yeah I’m in NYC and I just paid $13 for a 1lb bag.
Regardless, love the blog.
This sounds even better than the original recipe , it’ll be on the table this week. I love all your recipes, having tried several, and they’re all easy and delicious.
This is great! This has entered our family’s rotation for quick&easy meals. Also, I have brought it to work, as follows:
I stock my office with ramen noodle packs, and in the break room freezer keep mixed veg and a ziploc of precut basil. I use this for making better-than-ramen.
But now I filled an empty sriracha bottle with pre-mixed dragon noodle sauce, steep noodles+veg+basil in hot water until soft, strain, mix with dragon sauce, and YUM!
Not as sumptuous as the full version with butter & egg, but still tasty. I bet the same principle would work with pad thai sauce, which is similarly equal parts sugar, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar (plus some tamarind).
Even better hack: the bowls I use at work are plastic with matched lids, they came with high-end noodle soups from an asian grocery. I strain by cracking the lid just a little and pouring carefully. I will take one lid home and drill a bunch of holes in it — realio trulio strainer!
This looks amazing. I love to make my dragon noodle with buckwheat noodles. Then serve with marinated baked tofu and steamed broccoli.
Delicious! Subbed canola oil for the butter. Soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles turned out to be a little too delicate for this, but braised baby bok choy on the side was a perfect accompaniment.
This is great, just like every recipe of yours I have tried. I did use half soy sauce and half fish sauce instead, and also threw in some (thawed) frozen broccoli while I cooked the shrimp. Making this again tonight (third day in a row!) and going to try adding some diced ginger with the garlic, and sauteeing some sliced baby portabellas with the shrimp
Going to give it a try I like shrimps going to make it with rice though.
The limes are missing from the ingredient list / cost calculations
It’s in the list, right between brown sugar and butter… 1 lime $0.50 :)
I made this but subbed eggs, spinach and peas for shrimp— delicious! Also I went light on the srirach for the kids. They loved it!
Wonderful recipe as usual on Budget Bytes. Will be making again in the future.
I made this last night with crispy tofu instead of shrimp, and I added chopped carrots and sugar snap peas because I had them in the fridge. It was so tasty and a great combination of textures – plus so budget friendly! will definitely make it again.
I love that I can come to this blog with ingredients in mind and always seem to find a recipe to match them! Okay so 99% of the ingredients (I don’t have limes, but I do have lemons!) This is what’s for dinner tonight! Yummmm
Beth,
I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog. Since the original Dragon Noodle recipe was the first one I looked at when I initially found your blog, I decided to post on this variation of it. I love your writing, and your recipes are top-notch. I like reading even the ones I may not plan to make anytime soon. You do great photography and food staging. The finished product always looks great. Keep up the great work!
Thank you!! :D
I’m addicted. I immediately went home and made this for dinner, minus the lime and cilantro because I didn’t have it, plus some colored bell pepper slices I had leftover from a veggie tray. Soooooo good!!!! I liked the sauce so much, last night I gave my husband and daughter pizza and then sautéed up the rest of the frozen shrimp, pepper and onions and mixed it into rice with the sauce. nom, nom, nom – my mouth is watering just thinking about this….
Is this a really spicy one with the sriracha? If so would leaving it out affect it?
I think it’s really spicy with the full amount of sriracha, so I decrease the amount by 2/3 (2 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons) and make up the difference with ketchup. It works for me. I almost never use the full amount of sriracha called for in a recipe.
It is fairly spicy, yes. Personally I think if you leave it out, it will throw the balance off the sauce because the sriracha also provides the acidity. You can try a mild sauce like what is in my Garlic Noodles, though. :)
Shrimp was hella expensive at the store so I used 2 eggs instead. I also added peanut butter. My toddler is not a fan of spice so I halfed the siracha and she ate it up even though “this is spicy a little bit” anybody use hoisin sauce instead of siracha? I sent the recipe to my sister and called it the perfect idgaf but I’m hungry dinner.
My Garlic Noodle recipe has a very similar sauce, but it uses oyster sauce instead. It’s super delish (and mild)!
I always love recipes that use ramen noodles and class them up. Thanks for the inspiration!
My favorite way to have ramen noodles is actually in your Thai Curry soup in place of the vermicelli noodles. I add two packages of ramen noodles to the soup during the last 3-5 minutes. The starch from the ramen adds a little creaminess to the broth.
I’m crazy about the dragon sauce. I’m off grains at the moment, which is a bummer, but I ‘ve missed this sauce so much that I’m just going to use it for a massive veggie stir fry.
Crystal, you might want to try using zucchini noodles!
just add them in uncooked at the end and cook for a few minutes, voila! guilt free noodles
I love zucchini, I usually just chop it into large half circles and give it a quick sautee before topping it with sauce.
There are many options outside of grain-based noodles, especially Asian-based noodles. You could also potentially use rice noodles, green bean vermicelli, sweet potato, and shirataki (yam) noodles. The texture will be different though.
Also, I generally avoid regular instant ramen since they are fried in palm oil. That gives them extra flavor but if you want a healthier option, many Asian supermarkets have instant dried ramen that is steamed rather than oil-fried. Some brands like Kokka even have English labels touting “non-fried” or similar. To use them, just boil for a few minutes, drain, and use. Don’t use the spice packets.
Your shrimp is so cheap compared to the prices around me. I love shrimp so much but rarely cook with it due to expense.
Is it okay to use fresh shrimp or is it just better to use frozen for this recipe?
Fresh will definitely taste better. I just used frozen because of the price. :)
I just made this but found I was completely out of soy sauce (I have no clue how that happened!). So I used a mix of teriyaki sauce and sesame oil and a pinch (like a few grains) of the seasoning packet (I bought hot chili flavored ramen!) and it turned out to be a successful alternative. Super good, will definitely be making it again!
Lots of folks turn up their noses at the lowly ramen–angel hair pasta might be a good substitute for “Pontificator,” but my family and I actually like cheap ramen noodles (and really love the real thing, although we can’t easily get them in our rural area). I made this for my vegetable hating grandsons and they adored it! Hubby and I will undoubtedly prefer the version I’m making for lunch with additions of sauteed sliced onion, red bell pepper, and whole snow peas.
Ahh, thanks for that comment. I love the Dragon Noodles recipe, but have been trying to think of what veggies I could add to make it more of a complete meal.
For us, as an Asian family, it’s not about snobbishness, it’s about health. Fresh ramen noodles and non-fried instant ramen noodles are what we used. The instant dried ramen used above is fried in palm oil often before packaging. In Asia, there are manufacturers who are getting away from this method as consumers demand healthier options. Here’s an example off of Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XXXR78/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687542&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004XXXRSW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0DA2MHDWAXZMA61VW66W
Lots of options for veggies. Raw mung bean sprouts, cucumber slices, shredded carrots, celery bits. If you want a cooked option, steam bok choy/ gai lan(Chinese broccoli).
This will be dinner. I’m looking forward to other Dragon Noodle variations. It’s a favorite of mine.
How about a recommended alternative to using ramen?
I personally love dragon noodles made with penne pasta.
I usually make the original recipe with linguine, because lo mein is expensive at the little grocery store in town. I bet thin spaghetti would be a good substitute (maybe even whole wheat to be healthy). You might also be able to get plain (not fried) ramen or thin rice noodles for cheap at an Asian market if you have one near you.
You can pretty much use any type of noodle. :)
I like using Udon noodles. Love the chewy texture. And they just need to be heated up in a pot of boiling water. Cheap, quick and easy. 😃
You can also use rice instead of noodles…
It might be 10:30pm, but oh lawdy this looks delish! Can’t wait to try this out! We recently found out we’re moving to China next year and I am inspired to get some very basic Asian sauces under my belt. I love spices, but my kids are still learning to appreciate culinary diversity (that’s the polite way to say they’re uber picky) so earlier this week I took your garlic noodles and your dragon noodles recipes and combined them into one… I combined garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and hoisin sauce to achieve something flavorful, but universally kid-appealing. It kinda worked!
Doubled the recipe, made it with chow mein noodles instead and my measurements were guesstimated. Regardless, really tasty! Both my husband and I really enjoyed it. Next time I’ll keep closer to the sriracha measurements though because mine was a hint too spicy for my preference! Thanks for the recipe, Beth!
What a fun idea! Oh my gosh, I just want to try to do now!
thank you for your sharing!
I love the dragon noodle sauce! I just made a dish with ground turkey, shredded cabbage and brown rice with it and it’s amazing!
Love love love the idea of posting a few variations of a simple recipe.
For some reason, I always feel so intimidated about anything involving shrimp… But I think is super manageable!
Thanks for the recipe!