Recipe
Salted Kelp Pasta: Does Chef Todaka Love 'Kurakon'? Infusing Sesame Oil with Shio-Kombu Umami!
Ingredients
- Pasta(1.8mm): 200g
- Shio-kombu(salted kelp): To taste (about 1 small rice bowl full)
- Garlic:3–4 cloves
- Sesameoil: To taste
- Blackpepper: To taste
- Water:2 liters
- Salt:2 tsp
About "Shio-Kombu Pasta"
A Japanese-style pasta featuring 'Kurakon' shio-kombu (salted kelp). By infusing sesame oil with the rich umami of garlic and shio-kombu, this simple yet deep dish requires no salt or soy sauce. It is incredibly easy to make, making it perfect for a late-night snack or unexpected guests.
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Tips for Making "Shio-Kombu Pasta"
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Heat control
- When heating garlic in sesame oil, use ultra-low heat and spend about 1 minute slowly infusing the aroma. Preventing it from burning is key.
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Seasoning
- Do not use any salt or soy sauce; rely solely on the saltiness of the shio-kombu. Dissolving its umami into the sesame oil creates a rich flavor as if soy sauce were used.
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Ingredients
- Choose thick pasta (1.8mm or thicker). It is crucial to use sesame oil, which pairs perfectly with shio-kombu, instead of regular olive oil.
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Cooking process
- Transfer the pasta to the pan with a little pasta water, and toss the noodles and sauce quickly over high heat. This turns the noodles a beautiful golden-brown.
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Prep
- The only knife work is slicing the garlic. Since the dish is simple, use a generous amount of about 4 cloves to ensure a strong garlic aroma.
Ingredients for "Shio-Kombu Pasta"
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How to Make "Shio-Kombu Pasta"
- 1
Slice the garlic.
- 2
Place the garlic and a generous amount of sesame oil in a frying pan, and heat over ultra-low heat. Spend about 1 minute slowly infusing the garlic aroma into the sesame oil.
- 3
Bring 2 liters of water and 2 tsp of salt to a boil in a pot, add the pasta, and boil for about 10 minutes.
- 4
When the sesame oil in the pan begins to sizzle, add the shio-kombu. Slowly extract the umami of the shio-kombu into the sesame oil over low heat, and turn off the heat if the garlic is about to burn.
- 5
Transfer the cooked pasta to the frying pan, keeping a little bit of the pasta water on the noodles.
- 6
Turn the heat to high, mix thoroughly as if stir-frying the pasta, and coat everything evenly with the oil.
- 7
Sprinkle with black pepper to finish.
Food Science
Slowly heating sesame oil over low heat efficiently extracts the aromatic compounds of garlic and the rich umami (glutamic acid) of shio-kombu into the oil. Additionally, combining the saltiness and umami of shio-kombu with the spiciness of garlic and black pepper balances the five basic tastes (and beyond), creating a simple yet deeply complex flavor profile.
Detailed Commentary on "Shio-Kombu Pasta"
* Content organized by topics from the video.
Late-Night Simple Pasta with 'Kurakon' Shio-Kombu
This time, Chef Todaka of 'Shokudo Todaka' introduces a simple shio-kombu pasta using leftover shio-kombu (salted kelp). While Chef Todaka regularly serves creative dishes using shio-kombu at his restaurant, his personal favorite is 'Kurakon Shio-Kombu'. Although there are other brands, he says he always ends up buying this one because it is highly recommended at the Tokyu Store near his restaurant. This recipe was created as a quick meal you can whip up with just pantry staples when late-night cravings hit. Without using any special seasonings, it maximizes the potential of shio-kombu to create a simple yet deeply flavorful dish.
No Salt Needed! Sesame Oil & Thick Pasta
The ingredients are incredibly simple: 200g of pasta (1.8mm), sesame oil, shio-kombu, 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, and a finishing touch of black pepper. Thicker pasta noodles are recommended; while we use 1.8mm here, 1.9mm also pairs beautifully. If you don't have thick noodles, thin ones will work too. While olive oil is standard for pasta, this recipe uses sesame oil, which pairs exceptionally well with shio-kombu. A key feature of this recipe is that no salt or soy sauce is used for seasoning—the dish relies entirely on the natural saltiness of the shio-kombu.
Only Garlic to Prep! Infuse on Ultra-Low Heat
The only time you will need a knife for this dish is to prep the garlic. Since the recipe is so simple, we want a strong garlic presence, so we slice a generous amount of about 4 cloves. Place the sliced garlic in a frying pan and add enough sesame oil to submerge it. The most crucial point here is to never let the garlic burn. Set the heat to ultra-low and spend about a minute slowly infusing the garlic aroma into the sesame oil.
Pasta Boiling Time & Culinary Philosophy
To boil the pasta, add 2 tsp of salt to 2 liters of water (roughly 1 tsp of salt per liter of water). Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for the package-recommended 10 minutes. While it boils, Chef Todaka and the filming crew chat about the recent trends of 'one-pot pasta' and 'microwave cooking.' Chef Todaka laughs and asks, 'Is everyone really that short on time?' while sharing his philosophy that the more care you put into cooking, the more delicious it becomes. Still, this pasta aims for a professional-grade finish while remaining extremely simple.
The Secret to Dissolving Umami in Sesame Oil
Once the garlic starts to gently sizzle, add the shio-kombu. This step is incredibly important: by lightly sautéing the shio-kombu in the sesame oil, you dissolve the kelp's umami into the oil, essentially 'making dashi stock with oil.' Be careful not to burn the shio-kombu as you slowly extract the umami over low heat. Once the garlic is highly aromatic and just before it starts to burn, turn off the heat. This single step completes the base of your sauce.
Finishing, Tasting, and Endless Variations
Transfer the cooked pasta to the frying pan without draining it too thoroughly, keeping a little bit of the pasta water on the noodles. Turn the heat to high and toss the noodles and sauce together quickly. The kelp umami dissolved in the sesame oil will thoroughly coat the noodles, turning them a beautiful golden-brown color even without any soy sauce. Finish by tossing with black pepper. Tasting his creation, Chef Todaka was full of praise, exclaiming, 'So good! Delicious! Shio-kombu is the best!' He was amazed by the rich umami, which makes it hard to believe no soy sauce or butter was used. He also suggested variations like adding seafood, meat, or vegetables, or topping it with butter or nori seaweed, warming up the room with a playful hypothetical scenario of serving this for a late-night snack or to unexpected guests.
About 動画 de 食堂とだか 料理人・戸高雄平
動画 de 食堂とだか 料理人・戸高雄平
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