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Wafu kinoko pasta (Japanese mushroom spaghetti)
和風きのこパスタ · Spaghetti with mixed mushrooms, butter, soy and nori
Wafu means Japanese-style, and this buttery soy-sauce spaghetti grew up in Tokyo's small pasta cafés in the post-war years, when cooks began dressing Italian noodles with the flavours of home. Today it is a weeknight standard in flats all over Japan: shimeji, shiitake and enoki browned in butter with garlic, glossed with soy sauce and a splash of pasta water, then showered with shredded nori. It is meat-free and ready in about 20 minutes. The mistake to avoid is crowding wet mushrooms into a cool pan; they stew grey instead of browning, so get the pan hot and leave them alone. Chef's tip: add the soy sauce around the edge of the hot pan rather than onto the pasta so it sizzles and turns nutty before you toss.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 7 oz spaghetti
- 1 tbsp saltfor the pasta water
- 3 ½ oz shimeji mushroomsbase trimmed, separated
- 3 ½ oz fresh shiitake mushroomsstems removed, sliced
- 3 ½ oz enoki mushroomsbase trimmed, halved
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ⅞ oz butter
- 2 garlic clovesthinly sliced
- ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 1 nori sheetcut into thin strips with scissors
- 2 spring onions (optional)thinly sliced
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Method
0/5 doneStep 2: While it cooks, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add 3 ½ oz shimeji mushrooms and 3 ½ oz fresh shiitake mushrooms in one layer and leave for 2 minutes without stirring, until browned underneath, then toss and cook 2 minutes more.
4 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium, add ⅞ oz butter, 2 garlic cloves, ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes and 3 ½ oz enoki mushrooms and cook until the garlic is pale gold and the enoki have softened.
2 minStep 4: Pour 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce around the edge of the pan so it sizzles, then add the drained spaghetti and 3–4 tablespoons of pasta water. Toss for 1 minute until the sauce is glossy and clings to the noodles. Season with ¼ tsp black pepper.
1 minStep 5: Pile into bowls and top with 1 nori sheet and 2 spring onions. Serve straight away, before the nori wilts.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wafu kinoko pasta (Japanese mushroom spaghetti) take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of spaghetti?
- Linguine or any long pasta, same amount.
- What can I use instead of shimeji mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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