The tale of Japan’s most famous spaghetti dish is worth repeating.
The Hotel New Grand near the Yokohama waterfront was built and came to prominence just after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake that had razed the city and surrounding prefectures. The storied hotel, somehow untouched during World War II, was then requisitioned during the American occupation as Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters. To cater to American tastes, the hotel’s then-head chef used what ingredients were at hand during that turbulent time to create the spaghetti napolitan — and accidentally kickstart the now-booming genre of itameshi (Japanized Italian food).
The modern napolitan is often maligned for incorporating ketchup, though early recipes were in fact based on tomato puree. In this recipe, cherry tomatoes take its place, with sausage, onion, mushrooms and green pepper in tow, as is tradition. Any mushrooms will do, but bunashimeji (brown beech mushrooms) are easy to work with.
This is a balanced, delicious meal anyone can put together in 20 minutes flat incorporating fresh ingredients with Korean rice cakes. Tteok-bokki are similar to Japanese mochi (rice cakes), though they are made with regular rice rather than glutinous mochigome. Imagine them in this dish as rice-based gnocchi. They cook fast, help thicken the sauce and, in replacing pasta, they also make this dish gluten free.
Though not strictly necessary, this dish can be topped with cheese. Parmesan or pecorino work well. If your pan has a lid, try adding a little mozzarella on top, then covering and letting it sit for a minute to melt before serving.
Serves 2
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 20 mini tomatoes
- 50 grams shiokōji (a mix of salt, water and kōji mold)
- ½ cup mixed herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, marjoram), torn
- 20 milliliters olive oil
- 6 small sausages
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 100 grams bunashimeji mushrooms, separated
- 250 grams tteok-bokki
- Cracked black pepper
Directions:
1. Slice the tomatoes in half and set aside in a small bowl mixed with the shiokōji and torn herbs.
2. Heat your olive oil in a nonstick pan, then add the halved sausages, onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Lightly saute for five minutes.
3. Add the tomato mixture along with 150 milliliters of water, mix and boil.
4. Add the separated tteok-bokki and simmer for three minutes until soft and the sauce has thickened, then top with black pepper.
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