This Udon Carbonara is a perfect fusion between Japanese and Italian cuisine. It takes all the ingredients and principles of a classic carbonara but is served with Udon noodles, a traditional Japanese staple. They are thick, long noodles – now found in most big supermarkets in the UK.
When I saw this Instagram reel of a famous restaurant in Tokyo that serves carbonara with udon, I couldn’t get it out of my head. They went to Menchirashi to try udon carbonara without a long line but the most famous place in Tokyo is Shin Udon in Shinjuku! The way they twirl the noodles into the bowl and top with an egg yolk just made the dish look so good. The recipe below is how I would make it at home!
Made simply with udon, egg yolks, grana Padano, pecorino, pepper and guanciale. Deliciously creamy, really quick and utterly delicious. The trick is to not mix the udon carbonara in the hot pan used to fry the guanciale, but remove it from the heat and toss in a separate bowl. This keeps the carbonara saucy and creamy, without risk of scrambling the egg yolks leading to a chunky, textured sauce rather than the luscious sauce you want.
What you'll need for a creamy Udon Carbonara
Udon noodles, a long thick noodle made with flour and traditional in Japanese cuisine. They are chewy yet soft at the same time. So good.
Egg yolks, with their higher fat content, yolks ensure a creamier, emulsified sauce with a tighter texture so it clings to each spaghetti.
Guanciale, an Italian cured meat from pork jowl or cheek. In Italian, the word guancia means cheek. It’s similar to pancetta, but it’s fattier and saltier with less smoked flavour. Guanciale is traditional for a carbonara and really levels it up.
Grana Padano, salty and similar to Parmesan, just aged in less time. You can use parm instead of grana Padano if that’s all you have in.
Pecorino Romano, a hard Italian cheese from sheep’s milk. It has a funkiness compared to the salty note of Grana Padano.
Freshly ground pepper, this is a really important ingredient! Don’t think of it as an added extra, but as the sixth ingredient as it cuts through the fatty, salty sauce and adds good bite. Use a pepper mill or a pestle & mortar if you have one and want to use it.
EXTRA – if you want a little bit of spice, you could add in a heaping teaspoon of gochujang paste to the egg yolk mixture. Whilst gochujang is Korean, it works well here for a spicy hit. Use crispy chilli oil if you don’t have gochujang.
Making the sauce
As you would for a regular carbonara, mix the egg yolk and carbonara and then you toss it into the hot udon noodles, instead of it being traditional pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, once the eggs have scrambled, there isn’t much you can do to remedy it. If they are just starting to scramble, you may be able to fix it by stirring in a bit more pasta water quickly. In future, add the egg mixture to the pasta in a large bowl off the heat. This removes most of the risk of scrambling the eggs. Before adding the guanciale fat to the egg yolk mixture, make sure it’s cooled enough as if you add it when blistering hot, you will scramble the mixture.
No, it has to be eaten immediately so the sauce stays rich and silky.
More recipes like this one...
Scissor Cut Noodles with Chilli Oil
Curried Udon Noodles with Crispy Tofu
Classic Carbonara with Guanciale
Spicy Puttanesca Pasta
Korean Spicy Cheese Ramen Noodles
Udon Carbonara
The perfect fusion bowl, Udon Carbonara. Use really good eggs for the bright orange yolk on top!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Category: Noodles
- Cuisine: Japanese, Italian
Ingredients
- 2 packs of udon noodles
- 4 egg yolks + 2 more for topping
- 100g guanciale,
- 20g (2 tbsp) Grana Padano
- 10g (4 tsp) pecorino Romano
-
½ teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Cut off the rind and the pepper layer of the guanciale. Then, cut it into 1 cm (0.4”) slices, stack them, and cut into 1 cm (0.4”) cubes.
- To a large bowl, add the egg yolks, the freshly ground pepper, the Grana Padano, and the pecorino Romano. Mix with a whisk until well blended.
- Add the guanciale to a heated cast iron pan (no oil, butter, or fat added), then sauté over high heat, tossing the guanciale as you do, making sure it browns on all sides. Once the guanciale starts to smoke and fry, lower the heat so it does not burn. Let it cook in its fat until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- When the guanciale is done, drain the rendered fat into a heatproof bowl, and let both the fat and the guanciale cool to room temperature.
- Cook the udon according to package directions, and add a small amount of the water into the egg yolk mixture, along with some of the guanciale fat too.
- Then, transfer the udon into the bowl, mix really well and add small spoons of udon water until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
- Transfer to warmed plates, taking care each portion has equal amounts of guanciale. Then, sprinkle each portion of carbonara with freshly ground pepper and pecorino Romano, and top with an egg yolk. Serve immediately, or the sauce will dry out and become sticky.
Notes
To use up the egg whites, chocolate mousse is the ultimate way to use them up! But if you want something simple, fry an egg white frittata.
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