5-ingredient stay-home recipe: Spicy Udon Carbonara

I know what you’re thinking—what in the Barilla is going on? Well, before you raise those digital pitchforks at me, let me tell you what you are missing. Honestly, carbonara with thick, chewy udon is such a no-brainer. The creamy, cheesy sauce makes this dish the ultimate comfort food. Plus, udon cooks in two minutes which makes this process even quicker. I was inspired by the incomparable Marion from Marion’s Kitchen on Youtube for this recipe. Just so we can take this bastardisation to another level, I even added in some Samyang spicy sauce for that addictive kick.

When it comes to carbonara, it is more so the skill and the quality of the ingredients. However, the steps are relatively simple, and if you pay attention, you’ll get this silky, velvety bowl of carbonara for weeknights at home. Also, I got my guanciale (cured pork jowl) from the magical Fairprice at Parkway Parade, which I guess is my way of staying true to the spirit of carbonara. If not, pancetta or bacon will do just fine.

Ingredients

Flatlay of all the ingredients for spicy udon carbonara

  • 200g cubed guanciale or pancetta
  • 2 eggs with 2 additional egg yolks (so, that will be four eggs total)
  • ⅓ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese or as much desired
  • 2 servings of frozen udon
  • 3 tbsp of freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 packet Samyang Buldak Ramen sauce

Tools

  • Frying pan
  • Saucepan
  • Grater
  • Thongs

Recipe preparation

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Feeds 2

  • Cut your guanciale or pancetta into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
  • Crack your eggs into a bowl along with two yolks.
  • You can grind your pepper in a mortar and pestle, make sure the pieces are relatively uniform. Otherwise, you just use pepper from your pepper mill.
  • Add your pepper to your eggs and grate your cheese over the eggs.
  • Mix to combine. It should be a relatively thick mixture. Then, set the bowl aside.
  • To a cold pan, add your guanciale cubes and set the heat to medium.
  • Then, prepare another saucepan with water for your udon.
  • The cubes should crisp up and start to brown. This process should take about 10 minutes.
  • Once the guanciale cubes are done, turn down the heat and add your udon to the water.
  • The udon should only take 2 minutes. Once they are done, fish them out of the water and add them to the pan.
  • Turn off the heat of the pan and stir your noodles.
  • Add in your egg mixture and continue stirring, keeping a watchful eye on the sauce. It should start to thicken and cook with the residual heat. Be careful not to let the eggs scramble.
  • You can use some of the cooking water from the udon to thin out the sauce.
  • You can have the udon as is; if not, add it to the Samyang Buldak Ramen sauce. You can add in as much or as little as desired.

Recipe in pictures

Cubes of Guaniciale

Step 1: Cut your guanciale or pancetta into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

Step 2: Crack your eggs into a bowl along with two yolks.

Spicy Carbonara 3

Step 3: If you’re extra like me, you can grind your pepper in a mortar and pestle. If you are doing so, make sure the pieces are relatively uniform. Otherwise, you just use pepper from your pepper mill—which is considerably less of an effort.

Grating parmesean into egg mixture

Step 4: Add your pepper to your eggs and grate your cheese over the eggs. You can grate a little more than I recommended. It will make the sauce a little thicker, which is always welcomed.

Step 5: Mix to combine. It should be a relatively thick mixture, then set the bowl aside.

Cubes of guanciale in the pan

Step 6: To a cold pan, add your guanciale cubes and set the heat to medium.

Step 7: Then, prepare another saucepan with water for your udon.

Cubes guanciale frying

Step 8: The cubes should crisp up and start to brown. This process should take about 10 minutes. Once the guanciale cubes are done, turn down the heat and add your udon to the water.

Step 9: The udon should only take 2 minutes. Once they are done, fish them out of the water and add them to the pan.

Udon noodles with bits of guanciale

Step 10: Turn off the heat of the pan and stir your noodles. Allow the fat from the guanciale to coat the udon noodles.

Thongs lifting carbonara udon

Step 11: Add in your egg mixture and continue stirring, keeping a watchful eye on the sauce. It should start to thicken and cook with the residual heat. Be careful not to let the eggs scramble, so don’t walk away and continue stirring. You can use some of the cooking water from the udon to thin out the sauce.

Mixing Spicy Carbonara Udon

Step 12: You can have the udon as is; if not, add the Samyang Buldak Ramen sauce. You can add in as much or as little as desired. Stir till you get a homogeneous mixture.

Close-up of Spicy Carbonara Udon

There you have it. The udon carbonara is spicy, creamy, salty, and peppery with just the right amount of funk from the guanciale. Finally, a dish to impress that will take you less than 20 minutes and will be the envy of all when you post it.

You might need a little practice in getting the temperatures and textures right, but when you do, you’ll be unstoppable.

Expected damage: S$3 – S$6 per portion

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