Butter Okaka Pasta

What is okaka?!?!? As I posted in my YouTube video, okaka is a condiment, accompaniment to rice or added to an onigiri rice ball. It is simple to make and is a healthy addition to the simplest of dishes. Check out how I made okaka on YouTube and transformed it into an easy to make pasta.

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The pasta dish itself is quite inexpensive and uses the basic ingredients pasta and butter which you probably already have on hand. The thing that can turn your dish into a Japanese culinary adventure is adding okaka and green onions. Here is the butter okaka pasta recipe below:

Ingredients

Dried Bonito Flakes 2 bags

Cooking Sake 2 tbs

Mirin 2 tbs

Soy Sauce 1 tbs

White Sugar 1 tbs

White Sesame Seeds 2 tbs

Green Onion 2 stalks

Unsalted Butter 2 tbs

Spaghetti 1/2 lb

Start off by making the okaka. Remember you don't have to use it all for this dish and you can save it to put on top of your rice or make into a rice ball later. In a frying pan place 1 tsp of cooking oil in the pan and simmer the bonito flakes, mirin and sake. You want to make sure that you evaporate the alcohol before moving on. After you have simmered for a few minutes add in the soy sauce and sugar. You want the bonito flakes to absorb the soy and carmelize in the sugar. Before adding the sesame seeds turn off the heat. Set aside the okaka for the pasta and also for future use.

Make your pasta dish as soon as you drain the spaghetti. Plate the noodles and add the unsalted butter so that it can melt in the pasta to make the sauce. Before serving, add a dollop of the okaka and garnish with green onions.

The dish is so versatile and can be arranged to suit your palate. You can spice it up with chile powder, add parmesan cheese or even sprinkle with crumbled nori to make it more Japanese. Let your creativity be your guide!