Lazy Garlic Butter Noodles
Spaghetti tossed in a nutty brown butter and soy sauce, topped with ribboned scallions.
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Rate
Servings: 2 servings
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Unit Conversion
Metric conversions are approximate
Equipment
Ingredients
Noodles
- 8 oz Pasta: Spaghetti
- Salt for pasta water
Sauce
- 4 tbsp Butter unsalted
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tsp Chili flakes
- 1/4 cup Pasta water reserved
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan finely grated
- Black pepper
To Finish
- 4 Scallions ribboned
- 1 tbsp Butter extra knob, cold, for finishing
Instructions
Scallions
- Trim scallions and cut into 3-inch segments. Slice each segment lengthwise into very thin strips. Place in a bowl of ice water and let sit while you cook. They’ll curl into ribbons naturally.
Pasta
- Boil spaghetti in well-salted water until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
Brown Butter
- In a wide skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns amber and smells nutty, about 3-4 minutes. The milk solids at the bottom should be golden brown, not black.
Sauce
- Add garlic to the brown butter. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook slowly, about 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, mirin, and chili flakes to the pan. It'll sizzle hard. Add 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and stir to combine.
Finish Pasta
- Add spaghetti directly to the pan. Toss vigorously over medium heat until the sauce emulsifies and coats every strand, 1-2 minutes. Add parmesan and toss again. Add more pasta water if it tightens too fast. Finish with a knob of cold butter and toss until glossy.
Plate
- Twirl spaghetti into a high mound. Drain scallion ribbons and shake off water. Pile them loosely over the noodles so the curls show.
Notes
- Watch the brown butter closely. It goes from golden to burnt in seconds. Pull it off heat the moment it smells nutty.
- The ice water is what makes the scallions curl. Don’t skip it and give them at least 5 minutes to do their thing.
- Reserved pasta water is the emulsifier here. Keep it close and use it aggressively if the sauce looks greasy or tight.
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