Miso Udon Carbonara with Duck Egg

by Bonnie Chung, featured in Miso

Published by Pavilion

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Introduction

Call me a gaishin (Japanese for ‘foreigner’), but I don’t just adore Japan for its native cuisine, I also secretly love the country for its Italian dishes. I have never been a purist, and the Japanese take on Italian dishes is charming. The tomato sauces are a little sweeter, the creamy sauces have a touch of umami and the pasta has a bounce that could only come from the touch of noodle masters.

This dish exemplifies what I love about that fusion of cuisines. The udon is chewy rather than al dente; the sauce is creamy, but with a depth that stops it from getting too rich. And the duck egg adds an unusual hit of gameyness such as that you might expect from a ragu. If you can’t get duck eggs, you can use regular hen’s eggs, but try to make sure you get the type with bright orange yolks.

If you don’t have frozen udon, pre-cooked packs work too, but you won’t experience the chewy texture.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Miso

Image of Bonnie Chung's Miso Udon Carbonara — Photo by Yuki Sugiura

Ingredients

Serves: 3

Metric U.S.

3 bacon rashers (slices, chopped into 1cm/½-inch chunks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced or finely grated)
140 millilitres full fat milk
100 grams finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to serve
1 heaped tablespoon white miso
2 frozen udon noodle nests (or see recipe introduction)
3 duck eggs yolks (or see recipe introduction)

3 bacon rashers (slices, chopped into 1cm/½-inch chunks)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced or finely grated)
4½ fluid ounces whole milk
3½ ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to serve
1 heaped tablespoon white miso
2 frozen udon noodle nests (or see recipe introduction)
3 duck eggs yolks (or see recipe introduction)

Method

Miso Udon Carbonara with Duck Egg is a guest recipe by Bonnie Chung so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

In a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, cook the bacon until the edges become dark and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, warm up the olive oil and cook the garlic over a low heat for 1 minute until golden. Add the milk to the pan, and, once bubbling, add the cheese until it melts, then the black pepper. Whisk in the miso paste carefully so that there are no lumps in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat.
Pop the kettle on and, in a large bowl, soak the frozen udon nests in boiling water for 2 minutes until just softened.
To bring the dish together, put the frying pan back over a low heat to warm up the sauce again. Take the udon out of the water with tongs and add to the sauce, mixing to coat the noodles, then take off the heat. Scatter with the reserved crispy bacon.
Now you can choose how to finish the dish. Either pour the egg yolks over the noodles and mix through in the pan, or serve up the noodles with an egg yolk on top of each serving, for people to mix in themselves, for more dramatic effect. Add a final crack of black pepper and sprinkle of Parmesan, then serve immediately.

In a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, cook the bacon until the edges become dark and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, warm up the olive oil and cook the garlic over a low heat for 1 minute until golden. Add the milk to the pan, and, once bubbling, add the cheese until it melts, then the black pepper. Whisk in the miso paste carefully so that there are no lumps in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat.
Pop the kettle on and, in a large bowl, soak the frozen udon nests in boiling water for 2 minutes until just softened.
To bring the dish together, put the frying pan back over a low heat to warm up the sauce again. Take the udon out of the water with tongs and add to the sauce, mixing to coat the noodles, then take off the heat. Scatter with the reserved crispy bacon.
Now you can choose how to finish the dish. Either pour the egg yolks over the noodles and mix through in the pan, or serve up the noodles with an egg yolk on top of each serving, for people to mix in themselves, for more dramatic effect. Add a final crack of black pepper and sprinkle of Parmesan, then serve immediately.