carbonara-adjacent soy mirin pasta

Fully *not* carbonara. Butttt applies similar concepts used in carbonara, using Asian ingredients and flavors, so felt wrong to not give it a shoutout here. It’s rich, creamy, and flavorful, with a deliciously savory sauce and very easy to make (created by accident winging it w/ leftovers) ☻

A note on ingredients

Gluten-free version: use gluten-free pasta and sub soy sauce with tamari. but note that tamari usually has lower sodium content, so consider also adding some kosher salt when you’re taste testing

Soy-free version: sub soy sauce with coconut aminos. coconut aminos also have lower sodium content vs. soy sauce, so same applies as with tamari sub ^

Halal version: sub mirin with rice vin + sugar. ratio is 1 tbsp rice vin : 1/2 tsp sugar (ex. 2 tbsp mirin ≅ 2 tbsp rice vin + 1 tsp sugar)

Potato starch subs: 1/2 tbsp potato starch can be subbed with –

• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tbsp tapioca (aka cassava) starch
• 1/2 tbsp corn starch (note: corn starch requires a bit more heat to thicken, so you might want to have it on the heat a bit higher and/or for longer before adding the egg yolks. you should visually be able to notice the sauce thickening as a starch activates)

Cure liquid: If you’re using the leftover cure liquid from soy cured egg yolks, sub the soy sauce and mirin for 3-4 tbsp of cure liquid. bring it to a simmer over high heat on its own, then follow the rest of the recipe as normal (i.e., next step would be reduce heat down to low and mixing in the starch slurry)

White pepper sub: white pepper has a complex, earthy, and more gentle taste, + pairs well with Asian flavor profiles. Black pepper is more floral and pungent. I think it’s cool to be aware of this difference, but it’s not really that deep – feel free to sub it

Suggested toppings

Chili crisp oil: highlyy recommend. It’s a finishing touch that just makes it ( ˘ ³˘)♥ chef’s kiss

• And y’all already know I <3 specifically Fly by Jing’s – quality ingredient sourcing, seriously aromatic & flavorful with a gentle heat, and adds a lovely bit of cronchy texture. If you wanna try it I have a non-commissioned discount code you can use – lina10 c:

Green parts of scallion: freshness, pairs well with the Asian flavors

Sunchoke chips: subtly sweet, nutty flavor + more cronch

Carbonara-adjacent Pasta

thingslinadoes

idk i had to call it something

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Cook TIme 25 minutes mins

Cuisine Asian Fusion

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

• 2 servings pasta of choice (4 oz. dry pasta)

Sauce

• 2 eggs (yolks only)
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp mirin
• 1/2 tbsp potato starch (mixed with + 1 tbsp water to make slurry)

Finishers

• white pepper to taste
• sesame oil to taste

Instructions

 

• Separate egg yolks from whites, and set aside ¹
• In a saucepan, add just enough water to cook pasta and bring to boil. Then cook noodles until a bit before preferred doneness. Reserve some pasta water, and drain the rest out ²
• In same pan over low/med-low heat, combine soy sauce and mirin. While stirring, add starch slurry.³ Then, add yolks and thoroughly mix to incorporate
  1/2 tbsp potato starch (mixed with + 1 tbsp water to make slurry)
• Continue stirring slowly but constantly for a few minutes, essentially lightly and evenly cooking yolks (sign it's cooked the right amount: sauce goes from pooling at bottom of pan to leaving streak marks, but easily wiped away with a stir of the noods)
  1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp mirin
• Thoroughly mix in a few tbsp of pasta water to loosen / add volume to the sauce
  
• Off the heat, mix in white pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil to taste

Notes

1. Egg whites freeze surprisingly well, so you can freeze them to save for another recipe, like these extra cronchy candied pecans
2. If you plan on using pasta water for a sauce (like in this recipe), less water used to boil pasta = more concentrated starches, aka better thickening properties
3. Heat activates starches to thicken, so if you add starch straight to heated liquid, it’ll clump. Making a slurry with water lets the starch particles separate and diffuse evenly in heated liquid

Keyword carbonara, mirin, pasta, recipe, soy sauce