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
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!
