Vegan Gochujang Vodka Pasta

This vegan pasta recipe is the stuff dreams are made of. Vodka pasta is already deliciously creamy and rich, but this dish brings together flavours from Korea and Italy to jazz up your weeknight dinners.

Done in 30 minutes

Serves 2

Dish by Mia Jacobs

Ingredients

For the sauce

1/2 tbspolive oil

1/2 tbspvegan butter

1/2large white onion, finely diced

2garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 heaped tsptomato puree

1 heaped tspgochujang

3 tbspvodka

250mlsingle vegan cream

1 tspnutritional yeast

2 tbspkimchi juice

to tasteSalt and freshly ground pepper

For the fried kimchi breadcrumb

1.5 tsp sesame oil

60gkimchi, squeezed and patted dry

2spring onions, finely sliced

1 tbspsesame seeds

1 tbspolive oil

70gpanko breadcrumbs

1/2 tspMSG

To finish

200gpasta of choice (rigatoni or penne works best)

to tastelemon juice

Vodka pasta is a fairly new addition to my life, but when I ate it for the first time I realised what all the fuss was about. It's actually ridiculously good. Creamy, rich, indulgent and LUSCIOUSLY creamy. And who knows how the vodka makes it so good?? It's like some kind of sorcery. Now imagine that all but with a vibrant kick of heat in the form of Gochujang - it works beautifully. Enjoy!

Method

Start by making the sauce. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat then add in the olive oil and butter. Once hot and melted, add the diced onion and fry until it starts to soften. Next add the garlic and fry for another minute.

Once the garlic is nice and fragrant, add the tomato puree and Gochujang. Mix everything together and fry off until the colour deepens slightly, around a minute. Pour in the vodka and let the raw alcohol burn off - when it no longer smells, add the vegan cream slowly and stir until fully incorporated.

Season the sauce with the nutritional yeast, kimchi juice, salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, but leave it slightly al dente as you'll continue cooking the pasta in the sauce.

While the pasta cooks, heat the sesame oil in a small frying pan. When hot, add in the kimchi and spring onions and fry until they start to brown. Add the olive oil, sesame seeds and (optional) MSG to the pan. Once the oil is sizzling, mix in the breadcrumbs and fry for an extra minute, until everything is golden brown and caramelised.

Bring the sauce back onto a medium high heat. Stir through the cooked pasta with 60ml pasta water and stir until you have a glossy sauce. Serve with tonnes of the delicious kimchi breadcrumb, a squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy!

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Mia Jacobs

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Mia is a self-taught cook with an obsession with street food and an absolute hatred for parsnips. Before joining Twisted Green, Mia founded an online vegan cooking school in the midst of the global pandemic and began teaching people all over the world how to cook incredible vegan food from the comfort of their own homes. Her mission was, and still is, to help transform kitchens everywhere from a daunting space to one that’s filled with the irresistible aroma of frying garlic, and some very special plant-based grub. She also believes that crisps and hummus are a gift to humanity.