Is wheat spaghetti actually a new kind of noodle?
I had a lot of fun coming up with this dish. I wanted to make something that could serve as a main dish or part of an eclectic lunch or dinner course. This was also the first time cooking with wheat spaghetti.
You'll notice that in the photo I included two pairs of chopsticks. I was torn at first trying to figure out whether forks or chopsticks would be appropriate. This reminded me of a scene from in the late Japanese film director Juzo Itami's "Tampopo."
The main woman in this scene is desperately trying to teach her western etiquette class participants the proper way to eat spaghetti (without slurping). The westerner sitting and eating nearby has clearly been influenced by the local culture (and couldn't have had better timing!).
This dish has an Asian taste which led me to dine using a bowl and chopsticks. I wouldn't think any less of anyone who chose a fork (and spoon?) as an alternative.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 rack of beef back ribs (about 1kg)
1 pack of what spaghetti
1/2 cup ketchup
2/3 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp olive oil
600 ml beef broth
6 tbsp residual meat sauce from slow cooker
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1 pack of spinach
1 pack of cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup of water
Instructions
Mix ketchup, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl; set aside
Cut ribs into individual pieces, wash, and pat dry
Put ribs into slow cooker and pour over the set aside suace
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours
Once the meat is done, cook spaghetti in boiling water for about 10 minutes (it is said that wheat spaghetti should be cooked a bit longer than regular spaghetti)
Drain the spaghetti in a strainer after done cooking
Cook spinach in a saucer with 1/2 tbsp butter for a few minutes, ensuring that the leaves have started wilting
Slice about 6 to 12 cherry tomatoes in half and roast in oven (use a few sprays of olive oil for the cooking tray)
Pour 600ml of beef broth into a saucer; add 2 tbsp butter and 6 tbs of residual meat sauce from slow cooker; simmer
Mix the cornstarch and water and slowly mix into the simmering broth
Add 6 tbsp of residual meat sauce to the broth
Add spaghetti, beef ribs, and spinach and stir for 30 seconds
Serve in bowls and place a few roasted tomatoes on top of each serving
So...is this a pasta dish or is this a noodle dish? There are a few noted differences between pasta and noodles. Noodles are usually made from wheat, rice, buckwheat, etc. The primary ingredient of pasta is durum wheat. The spaghetti I used for this dish was made from whole wheat.
Maybe it just doesn't matter anymore.
Enjoy the food!