Udon Carbonara
Reprinted with permission from Third Culture Cooking by Zaynab Issa. Abrams Books. 2025. Photo credit: Graydon Herriott.
The classic version of carbonara uses pork fat as a base for the creamy, rich sauce, lending tons of salty, meaty flavor that I, put simply, can’t eat. Riffing off its basic formula, this version leans on onions and garlic to anchor the dish, while the combination of pecorino and soy sauce impart the umami of using meat. Using udon as the noodle here might feel a bit awkward, but trust me, the bouncy, chewy factor works. Behold: a culinary experiment gone right.
Serves 4; 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large egg yolks, plus more (optional) for serving
- 4 ounces (115 g) pecorino romano cheese,* finely grated, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 (8-ounce/225 g) blocks frozen Sanuki udon noodles*
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Freshly cracked black pepper*
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce*
*INSTEAD OF . . .
- Pecorino Romano, use Parmesan cheese
- Udon noodles, use fettuccine, bucatini, or ramen noodles
- Black pepper, use white pepper or red pepper flakes
- Soy sauce, use white miso paste, tamari, oyster sauce, a mashed anchovy fillet, or fish sauce
METHOD:
Whisk the egg yolks and 3 ounces (85 g) of the grated cheese in a medium bowl to combine; set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and just beginning to brown around the edges, 7 to 9 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the frozen udon noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water undisturbed for 20 seconds. Using tongs, gently release them from their caked state and continue to cook until tender, about 45 seconds more (but no longer than 1 minute). Drain the noodles, reserving 2 cups (480 ml) of the noodle cooking liquid.
Returning to the skillet, stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant and golden brown around the edges, about 3 minutes.
Season generously with pepper (add more than you think; it can handle it) and stir to toast it in the oil.
Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the noodle cooking liquid and the soy sauce and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat to its lowest setting possible and add the noodles and reserved egg mixture.
Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of the noodle cooking liquid over the egg mixture to gently temper, then toss vigorously with tongs, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until the noodles are coated and a glossy, emulsified sauce forms.
Divide the noodles among shallow bowls, top with the remaining 1 ounce (30 g) cheese, and season with more pepper.
Serve with additional egg yolk, if you like, for extra richness.
Zaynab Issa is a recipe developer, food editor, content creator, and Bon Appétit contributor. After working on a self-published zine that formalized her family’s East African Indian recipes, she began freelancing at Buzzfeed and contributing culturally rooted recipes and stories to Bon Appétit and Food52.