00:00Easy to make and delicious, that's what viewers keep saying about this mentaiko pasta.
00:05Spicy codro, melted butter, a splash of starchy pasta water and you've got a silky sauce that
00:11brings you back to Japan. You can find a printable recipe on my website,
00:15just type mentaiko pasta sudachi into google and I'll see you there.
00:19First things first, let's get our water going. Pour 2000 milliliters of water into a large pot
00:26and bring it to a rolling boil. The usual rule of thumb is about 1.5 liters per 100 grams
00:33of pasta
00:34but we're going with roughly 1 liter per 100 instead. Why? Because less water means a more
00:41concentrated starchy cooking liquid and that starchy water is a secret weapon behind my sauce
00:47that clings to every single strand. Once it's at a full vigorous boil,
00:53add 1 tablespoon of salt and toss in 200 grams of dry spaghetti. You'll want to look for a thickness
01:00of about 1.6 to 1.8 millimeters. Now, cooked spaghetti about 30 seconds to 1 minute less than whatever
01:08the package tells you. We're putting it a touch early because the pasta will continue to soften
01:13slightly when we toss it with the sauce. While the spaghetti is bubbling away, let's deal with our
01:20star ingredient. 80 grams of mentaiko, that's spicy cod roe. It's pollock roe that's been killed in salt
01:28and marinated in a blend of chili and seasonings. Mentaiko actually has Korean roots, so this whole
01:34dish is a collision of cultures. Italian pasta, Korean origin spicy roe, brought together as a wahoo pasta.
01:44Now, if you're sensitive to spice, you can swap the mentaiko for regular tarako. That's plain salted
01:50cod roe without the chili marinade. It's milder but still gives you the signature briny, umami-rich flavor.
01:59Now, take your mentaiko and carefully slice open the thin outer membrane lengthwise. Then, using a spoon,
02:07gently scrape out all those tiny jaw-like eggs. The origin story goes that a chef in a Tokyo pasta
02:15shop during the 60s swapped out expensive caviar for mentaiko to create something that felt gourmet
02:22but was way more accessible. And the creative substitution ended up becoming one of Japan's
02:29most beloved pasta dishes of all time. As for the leftover membrane, don't throw it away. It's
02:35actually a great little snack on its own while you cook. You can also enjoy it with steamed rice or
02:41even use it as a rice ball filling. Alright, let's just finish up the dish already. Grab a large mixing
02:49bowl and add your prepared mentaiko. To that, add 20 grams of room temperature unsalted butter.
02:56Butter is essential here. It carries flavor, it balances the spice of the mentaiko, and most importantly,
03:03it creates the luxuriously creamy texture through emulsification. Next, add one tablespoon of olive
03:11oil, one teaspoon of Japanese soy sauce. That's going to show you the standard dark variety.
03:18Quarter teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of ground black pepper, one tablespoon of whole milk,
03:24one teaspoon of grated parmesan or other hard cheese,
03:27and finally, an eighth of a teaspoon of smoked paprika powder. Now ladle out one tablespoon of
03:35that starchy pasta cooking water and add it to the bowl. Mix everything together thoroughly until it's
03:41smooth and well combined. Smoked paprika adds this subtle sweetness and enticing smoky note that takes the
03:50whole dish up a level. Totally optional but highly recommended. When your spaghetti is almost ready,
03:57add one more tablespoon of pasta water to your sauce base and whisk it vigorously. Now drain your spaghetti
04:04and immediately add it to the bowl with your sauce. Grab your tongs and toss everything together until
04:10every single strand is coated in the creamy speckled sauce. The residual heat from the pasta will gently
04:18warm the sauce without cooking the mentaiko, which is exactly what we want. Transfer the pasta onto
04:24plates or into shallow bowls. Finish with thinly sliced shiso leaves. If you can't find shiso,
04:31a sprinkle of shredded nori works beautifully as an alternative. Then if you like, add an optional
04:36squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of lemon zest over the top. And there you have it,
04:43my mentaiko pasta, a dish that perfectly captures what happens when Italian, Korean and Japanese
04:48cultures meet in one bowl. Want even more delicious recipes? Grab my free cookbook from the link in the
04:55description. Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time. And if you're ready to cook, grab the
05:01written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen.
05:06That's a wrap. You can find a full printable version of this recipe on my website linked right here on
05:12the
05:12screen. It has all the extra details to help you get it perfect every time. If you enjoyed this,
05:17check out my ultimate playlist. And next week, I'm making Niku Jaga. Hit subscribe so you don't miss it.
05:24See you then.
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