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Japan, Asia · Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki Carbonara

Japanese sukiyaki meets Italian carbonara: buttery beef in sweet soy tossed with spaghetti and a silky egg-yolk and Parmesan sauce.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time22 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThe yolks are only gently set by the heat of the pasta. Use very fresh, ideally pasteurised eggs; young children, pregnant women, older people and people with weakened immunity should use pasteurised eggs.

Method

  1. Bring the water to the boil in a 20 cm pot on high heat; it takes about . Add the salt, using less than for ordinary pasta, because the soy sauce and cheese are already salty.

    Add in this stepWater (for the pasta) 2 LSalt 2 tsp

    high heat

  2. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the grated Parmigiano and plenty of black pepper into a thick paste. Cut the beef into 5 cm pieces, the long onion diagonally 1 cm thick and the shiitake into 5 mm slices.

    Add in this stepEgg yolks (very fresh) 3Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated 35 gFreshly ground black pepper to taste

  3. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, stir so it does not stick, and cook for , 1 minute less than the packet says; it will finish in the sauce. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the starchy pasta water.

    Add in this stepSpaghetti 200 g

  4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 26 cm frying pan on medium heat. Fry the onion and shiitake for until browned at the edges. Add the beef, sprinkle over the sugar, pour in the soy sauce and mirin and cook for , stirring, until the beef is no longer pink and coated in a glossy sukiyaki glaze.

    Add in this stepButter 15 gJapanese long green onion (negi) or a slim leek 1Fresh shiitake mushrooms 3Thinly sliced beef (sukiyaki or shabu-shabu cut) 160 gSugar 2 tspSoy sauce 1½ tbspMirin 1½ tbsp

    medium heat

  5. Tip the drained spaghetti into the pan with 3 to 4 tbsp of pasta water per serving and toss well. Turn the heat off (heat off) and wait 30 seconds so the pan is not scorching, then add the yolk mixture and toss quickly for until the sauce turns creamy and coats every strand. Too thick: add a splash of pasta water. Too runny: put it back on the lowest heat for a few seconds, tossing constantly so the eggs don't scramble.

    heat off

  6. Divide between warm plates, scatter over the spring onion greens and add another grind of black pepper. Eat straight away, while the sauce is silky.

    Add in this stepSpring onion greens, finely sliced 10 g

Cook's tip

The secret of carbonara is temperature: if the pan is too hot, the yolks turn into scrambled egg; if it is too cool, the sauce stays runny. Work fast and keep the pasta water handy. Pecorino Romano works instead of Parmigiano but is saltier, so use a little less soy sauce.

Cooking it at camp

Easiest with two burners; with one, work in sequence: cook the beef first and set it aside, then boil the pasta in less water (about 1 L per 200 g), stirring often. Carry the yolks pre-mixed with the cheese in a sealed jar in the cooler below 5 °C and use them on the first day.