Wafu Pasta

Ingredients

• 7 ozspaghetticooked according to package directions
• 1 ozchirimenjako or shirasudried or boiled baby sardines
• ½ ozshio kombusalted kelp strips, mixed in
• 1 tbspsoy saucefor seasoning
• 3½ ozMushroomsor other mushrooms, sautéed
• ⅔ ozbutterfor sautéing
• 2 tbspmayonnaisefor the uncooked sauce
• 2 tspsesame seedsground
• 3⅓ tbsppasta cooking waterto loosen and bind the sauce
• saltfor the cooking water and to taste
• Pepperto taste
• 1 clovesgarlicsliced, sautéed with the jako (optional)
• 1 tbspsesame oilfor frying garlic and jako (optional)
• 1 tbspmirinfor seasoning together with soy sauce (optional)
• 1 ozspring onionfinely chopped, tossed in at the end (optional)
• 1kabosucitrus, squeezed over at the end (optional)
• 2 tspaonorifor sprinkling (optional)

Method

1. Cook the spaghettiCook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water according to the package directions. Before you drain it, scoop out some of the pasta cooking water and set it aside.
2. Sauté the mushrooms in butterMeanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Break the shimeji mushrooms into small clusters and sauté them until golden brown.
3. Crisp the garlic and fishIf you're using them, push the mushrooms to the side, add the sesame oil to the pan and fry the sliced garlic with the chirimenjako or shirasu until the garlic is fragrant and the chirimenjako or shirasu starts to crisp. Without sesame oil and garlic, simply add the chirimenjako or shirasu to the mushrooms in the butter.
4. Season with soy sauceSeason the pan with most of the soy sauce and, if you like, the mirin, then give everything a quick toss.
5. Mix the sauce baseIn a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ground sesame seeds, the remaining soy sauce and some of the pasta cooking water until smooth.
6. Toss pasta with the sauceAdd the drained spaghetti and the contents of the pan to the bowl and toss thoroughly until the sauce coats the spaghetti in a creamy layer. If it feels too thick, loosen it with a little more pasta cooking water.
7. Add kombu and seasonFold in the shio kombu and season with salt and black pepper. Go easy on the salt, since the shio kombu and the chirimenjako or shirasu already bring plenty of their own.
8. Garnish and serveIf you like, toss in the finely chopped spring onions, then divide the spaghetti between plates and, if using, squeeze the kabosu over the top and finish with a sprinkle of aonori.

Tips and variations

Wafu pasta leaves you lots of room to play. Instead of the chirimenjako or shirasu, fry bacon with the shimeji in butter and add the shio kombu only at the very end. You can skip the pan altogether with an uncooked sauce of tuna or shirasu, mayonnaise, shio kombu, sesame and soy sauce, simply tossed with the hot spaghetti. If you're after something richer, make a cream sauce with mushrooms and season it with yuzu kosho and aonori instead of soy sauce. For a fresher take, use takana, mizuna and mentsuyu and top it with grated daikon. Serve the pasta straight away while it's hot, so the sauce stays nice and creamy.