There’s nothing more comforting than a hot plate of pasta. And of all places in the world, Japan makes some of the best pasta dishes influenced by their love of all food and their history with foreign presence like with the Europeans and Americans. Learn the recipe for Japan’s most popular local pasta. Here is my Japanese Spaghetti Napolitan Without Ketchup Recipe:
Most articles and recipes require you to use ketchup for an authentic Japanese Napolitan. Yes, it is true that professional cooks and home cooks in Japan do use Japanese ketchup for this recipe.
However, in researching the history of this dish, the chef who worked in a luxury hotel actually used real tomato sauce. As other cooks and restaurants popularized the dish, they used ketchup because it was far more available and far cheaper than tomato sauce at that time.
Read more about the dish: Twirl Back in Time to Learn About Japanese Spaghetti Napolitan History.
In line with this historical account, here is my recipe for Japanese Spaghetti Napolitan without using ketchup:
Serves 4 to 5
Ingredients
1. In a large pot, boil enough water to cover and cook the 1 pound of pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water. While the water comes to a boil over high heat, you can proceed with the next steps. If the water starts to boil while you are still working on the sauce, lower the heat to medium until it is time to cook the pasta.
6. Add all the tomato sauce to the pan. If there is excess tomato sauce stuck in the sauce, pour about 1/4 cup of water into the can to swirl off the tomato sauce and pour that into the pan as well.
7. Add 1 generous teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce. Stir well and reduce the heat to low. Simmer and occasionally stir for at least 15 to 20 minutes to cook off the acidity of the tomatoes.
8. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add more salt and/or sugar. It should not be too salty nor too sweet. The salt will enhance the flavors while the sugar is added to round off the flavor profiles and lessen the acidity.
10. When the pasta is cooked and ready, use tongs to scoop the noodles directly from the pot to the pan. Transfer a portion at a time, mix it a little bit with the tongs, and transfer some more noodles. This makes it easier to blend in the sauce, and if the sauce is too little, you set aside the rest of the pasta in the pot into a leftover container (in which you can pour a little olive oil to coat the pasta so it does not stick). Do not through your pasta water yet, as you may need to use it.
11. Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for added smoothness and taste. Mix the pasta into the sauce using the tongs. If the sauce becomes too thick as you mix, add a spoonful of pasta water. Do not use more than 1/2 cup. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving platter, or serve directly onto each person’s plate.
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