Kimchi carbonara

Name: Kimchi carbonara
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian, Korean
Ingredients: coarse kosher salt, for the pasta water; 1 lb thick spaghetti; 4 tbsp salted butter; 1 small shallot, minced; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp ginger, minced; ¼ cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay; 1 tsp black pepper; ½ cup napa cabbage kimchi, diced; ¼ cup kimchi juice (wring more from the jar if yours is shy); 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature; ½ cup grated Parmesan (plus more for serving); 1 cup spinach, thinly sliced; gochugaru, for sprinkling

Egg yolks, Parmesan and a fat spoon of kimchi. Carbonara with a Seoul streak.

At a Glance

Time

25 min

Serves

Story

Real carbonara has no cream in it, ever. The silk is nothing but egg yolk, cheese and starchy pasta water whipped into an emulsion by the heat of the noodles, which is why you pull the pan off the flame first. Too hot and the yolks scramble into breakfast. Here the kimchi juice does the seasoning that cured pork usually brings, all funk and acid and salt, so the fusion is not a gimmick, it is one salty umami trick swapped for another.

Ingredients

coarse kosher saltfor the pasta water
1 lb thick spaghetti
4 tbsp salted butter
1 small shallotminced
6 cloves garlicminced
1 tbsp gingerminced
¼ cup dry white winesuch as Chardonnay
1 tsp black pepper
½ cup napa cabbage kimchidiced
¼ cup kimchi juicewring more from the jar if yours is shy
3 large egg yolksat room temperature
½ cup grated Parmesanplus more for serving
1 cup spinachthinly sliced
gochugarufor sprinkling

Method

This comes from a cook who kept seeing kimchi carbonara scroll past on Korean social media and decided to do it properly. It comes together in the time the pasta boils, so have everything chopped and standing by before you light a single burner. Carbonara does not wait for the disorganised.

Boil the spaghetti in well salted water to al dente. Before you drain, reserve a mug of the pasta water, you will want it.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat and cook the shallot, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, a minute more.
Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up the browned bits, and season with a couple teaspoons of salt and the pepper. Let it simmer down for a minute.
Slip in the kimchi and cook until the cabbage softens and turns glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the drained pasta and toss until every strand is slicked.
Now take the pan off the heat, this is the whole game. Add the kimchi juice, egg yolks and Parmesan and toss hard and fast until a glossy sauce forms and clings, loosening with splashes of pasta water if it tightens. Off the heat the yolks thicken, on the heat they curdle, so keep it moving.
Divide among bowls and finish with the spinach, more Parmesan and a good sprinkle of gochugaru. Eat at once, while the gloss is still a gloss.