Kimchi Carbonara
Servings 2 people
Ingredients
- 3 ounces pancetta or bacon (cut into ¼-inch strips)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving (grated)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup kimchi (finely chopped, divided)
- 8 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
- salt
- Fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water (salted) to a boil over high heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolk and egg until well blended. Stir in the cheese. Season with black pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil. Add pancetta and cook until crisp around the edges, about 7 – 8 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a small bowl.
- In the same Dutch oven, remove most of the fat, except for 2 tablespoons. Turn the heat to medium-low, add half of the kimchi (not all) and cook for 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Save ¾ cup pasta water. Drain pasta. Set aside.
- Add ½ cup pasta water into Dutch oven with the kimchi. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add cooked pasta. Stirring constantly and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
- Whisk in 2 tablespoons pasta water (not all) into the egg mixture. Then slowly pour into Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. If needed, add a little more pasta water to thin out the sauce. Add the remaining kimchi and bacon. Stir well. Season with salt if needed.
- Transfer pasta to serving plates. Sprinkle with black pepper and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I chopped the kimchi finely, so they can blend in better with the sauce.
- I used bucatini in this recipe. Spaghetti will do as well.