THE Best Udon Carbonara
When Minh and I lived back in Toronto we frequented the Japanese izakaya Zakkushi and they had the best udon carbonara. Look, I’ll take carbonara in any form - Italian, Japanese - it doesn’t matter, but there’s something about the slippery and slurpy udon noodle that I’m partial to. Maybe it’s because the noodle itself is thicker than a spaghetti noodle, which means more surface area for the rendered pancetta to coat or maybe because it just feels lighter to me than traditional pasta (it definitely is not). Anyway, I love it so much it’s considered a staple meal in our household and we have it at least once a week. I also love it so much that if I had my way, it would be my last meal on earth. Good luck!
INGREDIENTS
Makes 2 servings
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of crushed whole garlic
100 grams of pancetta
Half a cup of grated parm and pecorino (half half, doesn’t matter)
2 packs or 500 grams of frozen udon
2 eggs
Black pepper
Nori for garnish
METHOD
Heat oil in a medium saute pan on medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to infuse the oil.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in the frozen udon. Once the noodles begin to separate, drain.
Once the garlic is a golden brown, remove then add the pancetta and cook until most of the fat is rendered and pancetta begins to crisp.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, parm and black pepper together until incorporated throughout.
Remove the saute pan from heat and add in the udon noodles, tossing so noodles are evenly coated with the pancetta and its renderings.
Still off the heat (this step is important so that the eggs don’t scramble), add the egg mixture and toss until noodles are coated, the parm melted and sauce is glossy.
Top with fine strips of nori, extra black pepper and parm to taste. If you’re feeling extra eggy, crack another egg, separating yolk from whites and top the noodles with the yolk.
