That gloss! That sheen! I could stare at these noodles all day… although I’d rather be eating them, of course. Bouncy udon noodles are drenched in a thick and luscious creamy, cheesy sauce, with lashings of garlic and big juicy prawns to top it off. Plus a little secret ingredient for some added je ne sais quoi. A fusion pasta recipe for the win.
1 tbsp olive oil
50g (1.5 oz) unsalted butter
300g (10.5 oz) king prawns, peeled, deveined, tails on
sea salt, to season
ground white pepper, to season
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ cup white wine
200ml (7 fl oz) thickened cream
1 tsp yuzu kosho*
2 x 200g (7 oz) packets precooked udon noodles
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
50g (1.5 oz) parmesan or grana padano, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, preheat a large deep frying pan on medium-high heat, then go in with the oil. Add the butter to the oil and allow to melt. Once it’s starting to froth, add the prawns to the pan and stir to give them a buttery coating. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir-fry in the butter for 1–2 minutes or until they’re just starting to turn opaque, but aren’t cooked. Add the garlic to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for 30 seconds until lovely and fragrant. Next, pour in the white wine and allow it to bubble away for a minute until reduced slightly.
- Add the thickened cream and yuzu kosho and stir to combine. Continue cooking for 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- In the meantime, your pan of water should be boiling. Add the udon noodles to the water, and use tongs to gently wiggle and loosen the noodles for about 1–2 minutes, or until the noodles have separated and are tender. Use the tongs to transfer them straight into the creamy prawn sauce, then add the chopped parsley and the grated parmesan. Give everything a good mix until the noodles have a lovely even coating in all that glossy goodness. Keep tossing and stirring until the sauce has thickened.
- Transfer to serving bowls and top with extra grated parmesan.
- Notes: – Yuzu kosho is a fermented citrus (yuzu) and chilli paste from Japan that’s salty, tart and peppery. It usually comes in jars and is available from Japanese supermarkets, otherwise try ordering it online. If unavailable, replace with zest from one lemon.
