Bucatini with Calabrian chilli, guanciale and seaweed

This unusual pasta dish from Jae Bang incorporates Asian and Italian cooking techniques and ingredients by combining wok cooking with Italian bucatini. With a sauce of Calabrian chilli, buttery guanciale and umami-rich seaweed, this dish will definitely keep your guests guessing, and also requesting seconds!

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Wok Hei

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 500 g bucatini
• 150 g guanciale, finely chopped
• 6-7 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 eschallots, finely chopped
• 30 g crushed Calabrian chillies (see Note)
• 2 packs Korean seasoned seaweed
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the bucatini pasta and cook for 4-5 minutes. Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking water in a heatproof jug, then drain the pasta (don’t worry, it will cook later in the recipe!)
   
2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat, add the guanciale and stir-fry until crisp. Add the garlic and eschallots to the pan and stir-fry to combine. Add the crushed Calabrian chillies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add half the pasta cooking water to the pan, mixing well to emulsify the sauce.
   
3. Add the drained bucatini to the pan and allow the pasta to soak up the sauce. Cook, tossing until the pasta is al dente (add an extra splash of pasta water to the pan if needed!), then remove from the heat.
   
4. Using your hands, flake the seaweed over the pasta. Toss gently to combine, then divide the bucatini with Calabrian chilli, guanciale and seaweed between plates. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Note

• You can find jarred crushed Calabrian chillies at gourmet grocers or found at online stockists.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Wok Hei

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G