Did you know that western food is actually quite popular in Japan? There’s even a name for this type of cuisine - yōshoku
During my trip to Japan last year, I discovered this culinary gem: Japanese spaghetti, also known as Napolitan spaghetti. You may ask - why did you eat spaghetti in Japan? Isn’t that like eating Panda Express? But let me put y’all onto something - it’s the perfect, savory and sweet combo that will leave you begging for seconds.
I hope you don’t hate ketchup, because this pasta sauce is made with lots of it, along with Japanese worchestire and tomato sauce. Finished off with kurobuta sausage, a staple in Japanese bento boxes, a sunny side up egg, and broccoli for your daily veg intake, you’ll be transported to a cafe in Tokyo~
My favorite things - spaghetti & Japanese strawberries
Recipe
Recipe makes 2 servings
Ingredients
Spaghetti noodles - about 4oz
Medium onion - 1/2 thinly sliced
Red bell pepper - 1/2 thinly sliced
Broccoli florets - 4-6 florets
Bacon - 3 strips
Egg - 2
Kurobuta or Arabiki sausage - 4 links
Carrot - 1/2 sliced (optional for garnish)
Handful of chopped parsley - (for garnish)
Parmesan cheese - grated (for garnish)
Sauce
Ketchup - 1/3 cup
Canned tomato sauce - 1/8 cup
Worcestershire sauce - 1 Tbsp (Japanese brand preferred)
Sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Directions
Sides + prep
Step 1: Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl
Step 2: Wash and prep all your vegetables. Thinly slice the onion and bell pepper, and trim the broccoli florets
Step 3: Make small, diagonal slits on one side of sausages
Step 4: Air fry the sausages at 400 degrees for 8 min, shaking halfway through. Set aside
Step 5: Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 4-5 min. Set aside
Step 6: Fry the eggs sunny side up on a non-stick pan. Heat oil on the pan, and add the eggs, cooking for about 3-4 min on medium heat.
Main pasta
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt generously. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions, leaving it a bit on the al dente side
Step 2: Drain the spaghetti, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Set the spaghetti aside
Step 3: Heat a frying pan over medium heat and cook the bacon on the stove until it is crispy, about 3-5 min
Step 4: Remove the bacon and set aside, and pour out a little bit of the grease. Once the bacon has cooled a bit, crumble it with your hands or cut into pieces with a knife
Step 5: Use the remaining bacon fat to cook the bell peppers until they become a little charred, about 3-5 min.
Step 6: Remove the bell pepper and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook until browned, about 3-5 min. You may add more cooking oil if needed at this step
Step 7: Add all the ingredients back in the pan, including the bacon, bell peppers, and spaghetti
Step 8: Pour the pre-prepared sauce over everything. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water.
Step 9: Let the sauce reduce down until there is no more liquid, and all the contents are equally covered. You may add more of the reserved pasta water if needed
Assembly
Step 1: Assemble all the components on your plate or bowl
Step 2: Optional: if you are using, slice a carrot thinly and use small shape cutters to cut out shapes
Step 3: Add the parsley and carrots over the top for garnish. If you’d like you can grate some parmesan cheese over the top to finish it off
Step 4: Enjoy!
Till next time tomatoes!
-Casey