The latest viral food sensation taking over social media is a magical blend of classic spaghetti carbonara fused with Japanese ingredients. The result is udon carbonara. It sounds upscale, but it’s as simple as changing up the noodles. Get your favorite type of bacon ready, and let’s get cooking.
What is udon carbonara?
This innovative dish can be traced back to a little udon shop called Shin in Tokyo, where they serve a deconstructed version of what became the viral sensation. After this tiny restaurant’s recipe was name checked by both Shania Twain and Margot Robbie, it soon took the internet by storm. Discussions relating to udon carbonara are all over Reddit, and, of course, it has become one of those TikTok recipes everyone is trying. I just had to get in on the action and come up with my own version of udon carbonara, which takes inspiration from @3rdculturecooking on TikTok as well as the blog Marion’s Kitchen.
Ingredients for Udon Carbonara
- Bacon, pancetta or guanciale: I used 8 ounces of center cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips. Pancetta and guanciale are also great options—just use the equivalent amount.
- Eggs: The rich sauce is made with three whole eggs, plus two egg yolks.
- Parmesan cheese: Incorporate 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese into the carbonara sauce.
- Black pepper: Season the cheesy carbonara sauce with 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
- Udon noodles: I used 1 pound of frozen udon noodles. I like how they were so much thicker than the dried version and looked more like the videos online. If you are feeling adventurous, you could even try making your own homemade udon noodles!
- Nori or nori komi furikake: I used 1 tablespoon of the nori komi furikake rice seasoning, but you could also finish the dish with the equivalent amount of nori seaweed snack that has been crumbled or cut into strips.
How to Make Udon Carbonara
COURTESY KRISTINA VANNI
Start by crisping your bacon in a large saucepan. At the same time, go ahead and get a large pot of water boiling so you can cook the frozen udon noodles. This is also a good time to crack all of your eggs and egg yolks into a bowl then whisk in the Parmesan cheese and black pepper. I mixed the sauce in advance, rather than attempting a deconstructed sauce where a raw egg is cracked on top before serving.
Once the bacon is crisped to your liking, remove it from the heat and drain the bacon on a paper towel. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan, and return the bacon to the pan as well. By this time, your water is probably boiling and ready to cook the noodles. Toss them in, and keep a close eye; they will be cooked in about three to four minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the udon cooking water before draining the noodles.
Add the noodles to the pan with the bacon and give them a quick stir to coat. Add about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to the bowl with the eggs, and whisk to combine. This helps temper the eggs and makes sure you don’t end up with scrambled eggs instead of a glossy, rich sauce. Add the egg mixture to the pan and then make sure the noodles are all evenly coated.
Serve udon carbonara with a sprinkle of nori kumi furikake for a dash of color, then dive in!
COURTESY KRISTINA VANNI
Does udon carbonara live up to the hype?
The restaurant that created udon carbonara has only six counter seats and two tables, so once the word got out, people waited in line for hours to try it. If someone wants to spot me a ticket to Tokyo, I will gladly wait in line to give it a try and report back, but I really enjoyed this simplified version of the viral sensation. The texture of the udon noodles was prefect, and they are a great vehicle for the rich carbonara-style sauce. I also liked the addition of the furikake as a garnish. It added another flavor dimension and a lot of visual interest. I plan to try it again, but this time in the deconstructed style—with a runny egg yolk on top and bacon tempura on the side—to see if it’s harder, and if it elevates the dish.