Spaghetti Napolitan
ナポリタン·(naporitan)
The Yōshoku Table: Western-Influenced Comfort
It isn't from Naples, and no Italian chef would ever endorse tossing soft pasta with sliced hot dogs, green bell peppers, and a heavy squeeze of Heinz ketchup. Born in post-war Yokohama and perfected in smoky, Showa-era coffee shops, Napolitan demands you intentionally overcook the pasta until it is soft and plump, and you fry the ketchup in the bare pan until its raw acidity evaporates into deep, caramelized umami. Let the ketchup blister in the pan until it darkens, and serve it right away.
Ingredients
- thick spaghetti7 oz
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- olive oil1 tbsp
- Arabiki sausages or hot dogs4 med
- yellow onion1/2 med
- green bell pepper1/2 large
- white button mushrooms4 med
- garlic clove1 small
- tomato ketchup6 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- Parmesan cheese2 tbsp
- Tabasco sauce1 tsp
Method
- 01
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and intentionally overcook the pasta.
Add the spaghetti and boil for a minute or two past the package directions. You want a noodle that is soft, plump, and yielding—what the Japanese call mochi-mochi. Reserve three tablespoons of starchy pasta water before draining.
- 02
Sauté the meat and vegetables until deeply softened.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then brown the sausages and onions for about three minutes before tossing in the bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic to cook for another two minutes.
- 03
Push the ingredients to the perimeter of the pan and aggressively fry the ketchup in the center.
This is the critical trick. Turn the heat to medium, squeeze the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce directly onto the bare, hot skillet, and let it bubble and fry for up to two minutes until it transforms from bright red to a dark, caramelized rust.
- 04
Toss the overcooked noodles into the pan to bind the sauce.
Stir the dark, reduced ketchup into the vegetables, then add the drained pasta and the reserved splashes of pasta water, tossing vigorously over the heat until the sauce thickly coats every strand.
- 05
Finish with a knob of butter and serve immediately.
Turn off the heat and stir in the butter to mount the sauce and give it a luxurious gloss. Plate piping hot with a heavy dusting of grated Parmesan and a few dashes of Tabasco.
Notes
Traditional coffee shops often boil the pasta a day in advance.
For an even more authentic, pillowy texture, you can boil the noodles ahead of time, toss them lightly in neutral oil, and let them rest in the refrigerator overnight before frying.
From Cook Japanese in America.