Japanese Twist To Pasta

I love pasta especially when it’s served with white cream sauce …yum-yum! I can eat pasta all day long, ok maybe not all day long..but I won’t reject a plate of pasta with white cream sauce (not quite a big fan of red sauce pasta!)! Yesterday, I made pasta with a slight Japanese twist. I got so inspired after watching something from the Food Network (I think) and recalled my mom’s pasta dining experience in Japan many years ago.

I thought the touch of Panko and Nori to the pasta turned out really well! I enjoyed the crunchy texture the Panko gave the pasta! I loved it so much, I can’t wait to just share this recipe here! I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I’ve enjoyed creating and sharing it!

 

SHRIMP & PEA PASTA (WITH A JAPANESE TWIST) RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Rotini (short twisty/spiral pasta) or any short pasta of your choice
• 8 Jumbo Shrimp, Quatered ( This gave me about 1/2 cups shrimp – that’s all the shrimp I have in the freezer! That’s why I had to be frugal with the shrimp and cut it up!!)
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Sweet Peas
• I Small Onion, Chopped
• 2-3 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream
• 2-3 Tbsp Grated Parmesan
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, Chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Panko (Japanese Breadcrumb)
• 2-3 Pcs Ajitsuke Nori (Japanese Seasoned Crispy Seaweed Snack), Cut Into Strips

Method:

Boil Rotini pasta or any pasta of choice till al dente and remove. In a separate pan (medium heat), toast Panko till slightly golden brown – stirring constantly. Then, add 1 tbsp of butter to the toasted butter, stir it and brown it a little more. Transfer to a small bowl. In the same pan (medium heat), melt remaining butter and add chopped garlic and onion; cooking them till soft. Stir in shrimp and frozen peas, letting them cook for a while before adding heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Simmer sauce before stirring in cooked pasta and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make sure pasta is well coated with the white cream sauce. Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates.

Now, here’s the Japanese Twist to the pasta……Top up the pasta with the toasted Panko and sprinkle strips of Ajitsuke Nori. Serve immediately! This serves 2!

If you do not have Panko or Nori, you can still serve your pasta; of course there will be no Japanese twist to the pasta now! Top it up with more chopped fresh parsley and or some parmesan cheese.

The toasted Panko will give the pasta a nice crispy bite to it! If you decide to try this recipe, please let me know what you think! =) Good Luck!