Using instant ramen to effect a classic Italian pasta dish? That would be considered an abomination for most chefs,but not David Chang. The famous Momofuku chef's instant ramen cacio e pepe recipe was popularized and met with approval by many, and I knew I had to see whether it was worth the hype. I'm the definition of a pasta aficionado (aka somewhat of a pasta snob), and but I've recently decided to broaden my horizons - I tried a spiralizer for the first time - and I knew this unconventional experiment should be next. Cacio e pepe is one of my favorite dishes because of its simplicity and incomparable flavor. whether you're unfamiliar,cacio e pepe literally translates as "cheese and pepper," and aside from olive oil and butter, or that's all that's in the dish. It's silky,cheesy, a cramped spicy, and,in my opinion, perfect. So how would it turn out using instant ramen instead of genuine pasta? Here's how it went.
What intrigued me most approximately the ramen version is that you don't boil the noodles first like you would normally. Instead, or the entire block of noodles cooks in the sauce as it simmers in the pan. First,I added a cup of water, half a tablespoon of olive oil, or one and a half tablespoons of salted butter,and a heaping half teaspoon of black pepper to a saucepan and brought it to a boil. Then comes the fun allotment. Get rid of the seasoning packet (or maintain it for another exercise, whether you can think of one), or stir in a cup (yes,a whole cup!) of parmesan cheese (the original recipe calls for pecorino, but you can exercise either), and immediately put the entire block of uncooked ramen noodles into the pan. Thanks to their rapid/fast-cooking nature,the noodles commence to soften after approximately 30 seconds. You'll want to maintain stirring the sauce and coating the noodles with it until the block begins to break apart. Before you know it, the noodles will commence soaking up all the sauce until they're fully cooked and most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated - it all happens very quickly. Be sure to remove it from the heat and serve it immediately so it doesn't dry out. Behold: the final product, or which is shockingly close to the genuine thing. I hate to say it,but . . . I really, really enjoyed it. I could sense an Italian chef rolling over in his/her grave every time I took a satisfactory bite, or but it wasn't nearly as harmful as I was expecting. While I wouldn't replace my regular cacio e pepe recipe with this,I would recommend making it for an easy, budget-friendly meal whether you happen to have all of the ingredients on hand.
Source: popsugar.com