Creamy Bucatini With Roasted Seaweed
3 to 4 servings (about 5 cups)
In food writer Eric Kim’s debut cookbook, “Korean American,” he shares a recipe for what his family calls “gim pasta,” “a simple, perfect little black dress of a pantry dish featuring chewy bucatini, roasted seaweed and cream,” he writes. Gim (often Romanized as kim) is roasted seaweed seasoned with salt and sometimes brushed with sesame oil, and Kim calls it “one of the greatest Korean pantry items of all time.”
Storage notes: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days.
Where to buy: Roasted seaweed and gochugaru can be found at Asian markets, well-stocked supermarkets or online.
Fine salt
8 ounces dried bucatini One (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for serving
One (0.35-ounce) package roasted seaweed snacks, preferably sesame flavored, or more to taste Gochugaru, Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the bucatini and cook until pliable, 4 to 5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the bucatini and return it to the pot.
Add the milk, garlic powder and about half of the reserved pasta water to the pasta (saving the rest of the water to thin out the sauce later if needed). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sauce reduces by half and slicks the bucatini, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the sesame oil. Taste and season with more salt if needed (the pasta should be generously salted to complement the seaweed’s natural salinity). If the pasta has begun to stick together, stir in more of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.
Divide the pasta among plates and finish with black pepper and flaky sea salt. Crush the roasted seaweed with your hands over the bucatini, dust with the gochugaru, Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and serve.
Nutrition information per serving (1 cups), based on 4 and using 1 seaweed packet | Calories: 369; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Cholesterol: 21 mg; Sodium: 248 mg; Carbohydrates: 54 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 11 g; Protein: 14 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
Adapted from “Korean American” by Eric Kim (Clarkson Potter, 2022).