Kimchi Pasta
A little spicy, and a little creamy, this pasta dish checks all of the boxes.
Kimchi Pasta
Serves 3 - 4
This pasta dish doesn’t have an equivalent. The kimchi adds a bit of spice and crunch which along with the carrot and pepper make it different and familiar. It is best to use well-fermented kimchi if possible as the stronger slightly more tart flavor compliment the pasta well.
“Recipe Tips:
1. Read the recipe through to get a handle on the timing. If a step is a little further along or you need to slow something down, go ahead and do so. That’s what cooking is! The sauce is thickened with the addition of the butter at the end called “monte au beurre” it is the process of emulsifying the cold fat with the liquid sauce to create a thicker consistency.
2. If you want to make the recipe vegan, replace the fish sauce with an equal amount of soy sauce. Do not add the butter to the recipe rather shake your pan vigorously while tossing the pasta to get a similar effect from the starchy pasta water thickening the sauce.”
Ingredients
500g (about 1 lb) fettuccine or other flat pasta
1 T vegetable oil
190g (1.25 c) carrot, julienne
5 garlic cloves, minced
10g (2 t) ginger, minced
4 scallions, chopped (green tops reserved for garnish)
1 yellow or red bell pepper, julienne
150g (.5 c) well fermented kimchi, chopped
Seasoning Sauce
3 T kimchi brine
2 T soy sauce
1 T gochujang
2 t rice vinegar
2 t maesil, honey or maple syrup
1.5 t fish sauce
0.25 t salt
0.25 t freshly ground black pepper
2 T. butter, cut into 4 pieces, keep cold until needed
Garnish
1 T toasted sesame seeds
Fresh ground black pepper
Reserved scallion greens
Recipe Know-how
1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Season with salt.
2. In a small bowl, combine seasoning sauce ingredients. Set aside.
3. Place pasta in water stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute to ensure there is no sticking.
**In the time it takes for the pasta to cook the sauce can be made (you want to cook the pasta 2-3 minutes less than the package directions).
4. Heat oil in large sauté pan over medium high. Add carrots and cook about 1 minute until they begin to change color slightly.
Add garlic, ginger and scallions. Cook 30 seconds.
Add bell pepper cook 1 minute.
Increase heat to high. Add kimchi cook 45 seconds.
Pour in sauce. Reduce liquid amount by 50%
5. Once sauce has reduced. The pasta should be ready.
6. Using tongs or hand held strainer, remove pasta from the pot and add directly to the sauté pan.
Add butter.
**Using a lifting motion, toss pasta in the sauce while shaking the sauté pan until the butter has melted and all noodles are well coated. Adjust the thickness of sauce by adding pasta water 1-2 T. at a time until all of the noodles are well coated.
7. Serve topping with scallion greens, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and a grind of fresh black pepper
