Kimchi Bucatini
Inspirations: Bucatini Amatriciana recipe I saw on notanothercookingshow.tv; gochugaru mac and cheese from thetblog.net; kimchi udon from Bon Appetit
Number of times I’ve made this dish: A dozen or so
Early mistakes I made: Honestly, there are many mistakes on this dish. One time I put a cold egg yolk on top and it sorta just cooled down the whole pasta.
Lessons learned: Using a soup ladle and long tweezers to plate a pasta mountain.
Secrets unlocked: Reducing pasta water, concentrates the starch. Adding cold butter and cheese to emulsify into the sauce without curdling the cheese.
Practical culinary science learned: Concentrating flavors (ie. chicken jus) and reducing ingredients (pasta water) are keys to improving dishes. There’s a time and place for more water, but generally you’re trying to reduce water content.
Techniques improved through repetition: Learning when a pasta is done without using a timer. Also learning to finish cooking the dry pasta in sauce until it's al dente to have a better finish.
Ingredients (13)
Ingredients (13)
Garnishes
Instructions
Rub the pork jowl (340 g) with doenjang (3 Tbsp), then let sit for at least 2 hours—preferably overnight—in the fridge.
The next day, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the pork. Cook until browned on both sides and nearly cooked through—about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Separately, set a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, then melt 30 mL butter.
Once the butter has mostly stopped bubbling, add the chopped kimchi (160 g) and gochujang (2 Tbsp), and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the kimchi juice (78 mL) and reduced chicken stock (118 mL), then simmer for another 4–5 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the jowl into small pieces and add to the sauce.
Cook your pasta (227 g) until just shy of fully cooked. Strain, reserving 237 mL of pasta water.
Add the pasta to the sauce. Toss/mix to combine, then add the parmigiano (86 g) and a splash of pasta water, stirring constantly. Add a little more water if the sauce looks too dry/tight. Finish with the remaining 30 mL of butter.
Garnish with scallions, nori, sesame seeds, and a raw egg yolk (1).
If you have nice eggs and feel comfortable with it, you can bring the egg yolks to room temp before adding to the pasta.
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