tarako treat

a friend of phyz who married a japanese lady first introduced me to this dish. we were at a cafe at hollad v which was owned by his wife's friend.



this is a very simple dish. but i like it lots. love it.

its a dry type of pasta dish, almost pesto like. but its whitish thanks to the cream, with the fish roe giving it that salty bite to the dish so it's never muak..
and the nori (the seaweed) somehow gives a nice crunchy bite that complements the dish. cream+fish roe+seaweed seems like a strange combi but it worked for me.

today i had it again thanks to wywy.


and she asked me if i know how to make this dish.

the recipe's here. for me to remember as well.

2 fish roe (must be Japanese salted cod roe called tarako or karashi mentaiko)
spaghettini noodles (or finer)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (or less)
1/4 sheet nori, cut into tiny tiny strips

* tarako comes in sausage-looking pieces. you can choose either the spicy kind (karashi mentaiko) or just plain tarako

1. cut open the casing on each piece of tarako and gently scrape or squeeze out the roe. discard the casings.
2. start your water to boil for the spaghetti.
3. melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. reduce heat to low and add roe, stirring until the color of the roe changes to a pale orange and then white if cooked longer.
4. stir in about half the heavy cream until well blended and heated through. As necessary, you can add the rest of the heavy cream.
5. turn off the heat and keep the sauce just warm.
6. cook the pasta to al dente.
7. drain pasta and toss with sauce (sprinkle on the nori over the top just before taking the plates to the table) to serve.

and nope, i didnt learn it by watching japan hour.
you can however get another version of the recipe on Japan Airways site
http://www.jas.com.hk/eng/cooking/cooking4.htm