When I'm really busy and stressed, I tend to find comfort in pasta. Japanese people have appropriated the pasta genre and created some wonderful Eastern inspired dishes. A Japanese food court next to my apartment makes the most delicious spaghetti with spicy cod roe (mentaiko) for five bucks. But leaving the house means looking presentable, and often I'm too lazy to brush my teeth/hair so I make sure I keep plenty of Japanese spaghetti sauces and instant miso soup stocked.
Need: angel hair pasta and the spicy cod roe spaghetti sauce (available at most asian food stores)
Express directions:
Cook 1 serving of angel hair pasta
Drain without rinsing the pasta with water (so the sauce will stick).
Reserve some of the starchy pasta water and add a little if sauce isn't sticky enough
Toss well with spicy cod roe sauce
Garnish with a seaweed (included) and/or a soft boiled egg, some scallions..
Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Route:
If you have more time, you can saute 1 clove of garlic and half a small onion in a 1/4 tbsp butter and add the cod roe and toss pasta while the sauce is still hot. If you want to get really fancy, you can add 1tbsp of white wine until it evaporates, then add the cod roe and a 1 tbsp heavy cream to get that rich texture.
Serve with some instant miso soup and you have yourself a fancy fusion dish!
Stay tuned for my Tobiko + Shizo spaghetti recipe. It's on the books for dinner tonight!
