Being on lockdown has given me the perfect excuse to start living like a student (during summer break) again. It's late nights binge-watching netflix, consuming ice-cream for breakfast, getting out of bed in the afternoon and re-heating copious amounts of processed food in my newly acquired air-fryer at 2 in the morning. So, the multiple personalities residing (I'm a Gemini) in my head started debating whether or not I deserved pasta for dinner last night and the consensus was a resounding NAY. I had two packs of shirataki noodles I ordered from here a couple weeks back and decided to turn that into Carbonara - well, a less sinful version with these carb-free, kabocha-laced shirataki "noodles" that are also incredibly high in fibre. The beauty of this is that it doesn't clump up or dry up the way a traditional carbohydrate would. In fact, it becomes even MORE flavourful the longer it sits in the sauce. So, sit back, relax and you can now take your time to get that insta-worthy shot.
Will talk you through the steps here. For the step by step visual guide, head on over to www.instagram.com/AroundtheDiningTable. It's highlighted somewhere there.
First, take one packet of Shirataki noodles (200g) and bring them to a boil to blanch them. This gets rid of that stanky smell that WILL permeate your dish otherwise. Boil, Boil, Boil. About 1 to 2 minutes will do. Don't worry about overcooking or sogging them up. Won't happen. They're built to withstand and absorb all surrounding flavours without breaking down. Have I mentinoed this is much easier than regular carbonara?
While that's going on, mix up your sauce. Take one egg, whisk it together with 2 to 3 teaspoons of miso (depending on how salty your miso is, start with the smaller amount and work up), tons of cracked black pepper, grated Parmigiano (or pecorino or grana padano) cheese, and 1 to 2 Tablespoons of cream. The cream is completely optional, I just happened to have a tiny box on hand.
Also, take 1 to 2 rashers of bacon and cube them up.
When your noodles are boiled, drain and set them aside. Heat up a saucepan over low heat and start cooking your bacon in there, until the cubes become lightly golden. Depending on how fatty your bacon is, it may render out more grease than you'd like. If that happens, tip out the excess grease. Switch the heat off.
Now, tip your shirataki noodles back into the pan and pour your egg mixture on top of the noodles. Work quickly and toss/combine everything around in the pan. I found the mixture to be a little too liquid-y and switched the heat back on super low, tossing constantly to combine and giving the sauce space to thicken up and coat each strand of "noodle" voluptuously. Work quickly and be careful not to let your eggs set. Switch the heat off.
Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding a touch of light soy to get it to the savouriness you enjoy. Crack more black pepper and grate more cheese over. Done and serve!