KIMCHI & PARMESAN LINGUINE WITH GOCHUJANG BUTTER

It's been a busy few weeks but I will try me best and catch up with the past few weekends worth of recipes.

This easy to make but delightful and impressive pasta dish may be my favourite attempt at Italian / Korean fusion so far! 

Pasta and parmesan combined with kimchi and gochujang (a red pepper paste that is a staple in Korean cooking) may sound odd but OH MY GOD it is a marriage made in heaven.

It is spicy, cheesy, carby and like a hug in a bowl, trust me on this one..it's real good!

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

• 400g dried linguine or spaghetti
• 180g kimchi, roughly chopped
• 30g unsalted butter, cubed
• 40g gochujang
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed, or 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 spring onions, sliced into thin matchsticks
• 1 tbsp sunflower or grapeseed oil
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 2 tbsp finely sliced nori sheets
• 40g parmesan, finely grated

METHOD

• Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions (usually 8-12 minutes).
• While the pasta is cooking, prepare your ingredients. 
• Put the kimchi, butter, gochujang, soy, garlic and half the spring onions in a large, cold non-stick frying pan (don’t worry about mixing it for now).
• Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the pasta water. 
• Put the pasta straight into the frying pan with 2 tbsp pasta water over a high heat. 
• Cook, tossing everything together, for about 3 minutes, or until warmed through and well coated. 
• Remove from the heat and transfer to serving bowls.
• To fry the eggs, wipe out the pan. 
• Add the oil on a medium-high heat. 
• Once the oil is shimmering, crack the eggs into it. 
• Cook for 2-3 minutes until the whites are partially cooked and the edges are becoming crispy. 
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking until the whites are cooked through but the yolk is still runny (or cooked to your liking). 
• Season with a pinch of salt.
• Top each pasta bowl with the thinly sliced nori, the remaining spring onions and the fried eggs. 
• Dust with the grated parmesan and ENOY!