I always tell my teenagers that if their major daily concerns are what to have for dinner that night and folding even more laundry (where does it keep coming from!?), then they are very lucky, and this is what we should aspire to. That said, having to think up a quick, easy, and tasty meal every single day can really take a lot of mental load.

Looking to cut down on the never-ending list of things to do in my head, I have a bank of simple go-to meals, and I am always on the lookout for more to add. So when I saw some delicious-looking buttered noodles while doom-scrolling TikTok, I knew I had to test them out. And these were quick, easy, and so moreish, I made them again a few nights later.

TikTok creator Reid Quiggins has a series in which he recreates dishes from The New York Times' top 50 recipes of all time. One of them is Eric Kim's gochujang buttered noodles, which has more than 8,000 five-star reviews.

Reid gives the dish an 8.5 out of 10, and after tasting it, it is easy to see why. This meal has a delicious balance of sweet and heat, while the butter creates a silky, rich coating on the noodles, packing the flavour into every bite.

I am not normally a spice-lover, but the tongue-tingling heat of the gochujang is perfect for a warming kick that doesn't overpower the other flavours of garlic, honey and spring onions.

After first making it for a late-night meal on a Saturday evening, I made it again as a quick dinner on the following Monday because it was so easy and tasty.

You can also add a boiled or fried egg or some strips of meat for a more rounded meal.

Ingredients

• 170g (6oz) long pasta of choice
• Six cloves of garlic, minced
• One spring onion, whites thinly sliced, greens cut on a bias for garnish
• Two tbsp unsalted butter
• Salt to season
• Two tbsp gochujang
• Two tbsp rice vinegar
• Two tbsp honey

Method

First, you should start boiling the spaghetti. Then, chop the garlic and spring onion, although I used pre-chopped garlic, which made it quicker.

Melt the butter on a low to medium heat and add the garlic and spring onion to soften.

Add in the gochujang along with the vinegar, honey and salt to taste and heat through gently.

When your pasta is done, save some of the pasta water and add them to the pan with your sauce, keeping the heat low.

Once covered in the sauce, serve immediately with the green of the spring onion to garnish.