Japanese inspired Butter Soy Pasta is a new and exciting way to enjoy pasta. It’s quick, easy and full of savoury goodness, give it a try!
Fusion cuisine
Are fusion dishes creative or just hyped up? Whatever your stance is, we can’t ignore the fact that fusion dishes are everywhere we look. The hip and high-end restaurants are welcoming the enticing flavours of combining two or more exotic cuisines together.
For me fusion dishes, sometimes work and other times don’t. I can’t lie, I get caught up in the hype for fusion food as I’m naturally curious and love trying new things.
Tetsuya Wakuda’s Sydney restaurant combines French and Japanese cuisine together and people are going mad about it. I mean, if you need to book six months in advance to get a seat, you’re definitely doing something right! We were lucky enough to dine at his restaurant earlier this year for our wedding anniversary.
By now, you probably know I’m obsessed with Tetsuya! I’ve used his recipes to make Japanese Dressing For Oysters which are the best oyster dressing I’ve ever tasted. I also made his addictive Karaage Fried Chicken. This Japanese inspired Butter Soy Pasta is not from Tetsuya, but from another chef. More on that chef later!
This pasta dish brings together Italian and Japanese flavours together. Al dente pasta thrown in with butter, garlic, spring onions, sweet miso, wine, prawns and parmesan cheese.
This combination can really mess up one’s head, but don’t let it scare you because it all just works! The butter, soy sauce and miso combination creates deep umami flavours that work superbly with all the other ingredients. Dammit, I said ‘umami’, I’ve been trying to avoid that word for so long because it’s everywhere! But, I just had to use it here as it’s truly loaded with savoury goodness!
“I’m a celebrity chef!”
A few months ago, my sister, Nara, and I went out for a fancy dinner to celebrate her birthday. It felt a little strange getting glamoured up to go out again. Yes, it’s been that long since I went out to dinner after having Kai (my toddler) and with all the COVID lockdowns.
Nara ended up choosing a restaurant ran by a Korean chef serving fusion Japanese and Korean dishes. The chef himself was a quirky and loud character, but it was obvious all his loyal customers loved him. He cautiously made his way to our table and asked us if we’ve dined with him before. When we confirmed we were new diners, he pretended to run away with fright. He then told us he had to try extra hard to impress us.
And he was off to a brilliant start when he gave us complimentary homemade Soju shots! He engaged with us in between meals and made silly but funny jokes. He proudly told us he was a ‘celebrity chef’ and that he was a guest star on a popular morning show. “We know!” we both said with a laugh because he plastered photos of him and the TV presenter all over his restaurant walls.
This chef introduced me to ‘Butter Miso Shoyu Pasta with Prawns’. This dish was part of the 7 tasting menu we had that night. It surprised us how much we enjoyed the unique flavours, intensely savoury and very delicious. So this was how I got my inspiration for this dish!
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Butter Soy Pasta with Prawns and Miso
Like most pasta dishes, this dish is also quick and simple to whip up and is perfect for a tasty weeknight meal.
This pasta dish is so tasty that you could just eat the pasta as it is without throwing in some veggies or protein. It’s budget-friendly and filling, so good that it’s enough to keep the entire family satisfied.
The chef made his Butter Soy Pasta with prawns and shiitake mushrooms. I absolutely adore shiitake and all kinds of mushrooms, but sadly with COVID and lockdown, I could not get any. If you can get your hands on dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms, definitely add it to the pasta for extra yumminess!
The great thing about this pasta is you can mix it up however you want, depending on your mood that day. Maybe throw in some tofu, edamame, broccoli, chicken or hard-boiled eggs. The overall flavour of the pasta goes well with most protein and veggies!
Miso paste is very sticky and gooey, so prior to cooking, we need to mix it with softened butter. The rest of the recipe is straightforward. Hope you enjoy this dish and add it to your pasta recipe collection.
Ingredients for Butter Soy Pasta with Prawns and Miso
Prawns – any size or variety of raw prawns will work. Peel and devein the prawns prior to use. For convenience, I defrosted frozen prawns that were already peeled and cleaned.
White miso (or sweet miso) is a Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans. The darker the miso, the intense and salty the flavour is. Red and brown miso will work, but you would only need half of the amount called for in this recipe. Miso paste is available at most supermarkets or at an Asian grocery store.
Dry white wine is lower in sugar levels than other varieties of white wine. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are popular dry white wine varieties.
Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce but avoid the dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these are not interchangeable.
How to make Butter Soy Pasta with Prawns and Miso
Step-by-step guide with photos
Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet but make sure not to overcook it. The pasta should be a little firm when bitten (al dente). Scoop half a cup of pasta water and set aside, then drain the pasta using a colander. Rinse the pasta quickly with cold water and leave it in the colander so any excess water can drip off the pasta whilst making the sauce.
In a small bowl mix whisk together the butter and the miso until smooth, it’s okay if it’s a little lumpy.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a deep large frying pan over high heat. Add in the prawns and sear them on each side for 30 seconds. Transfer the prawns onto a plate and set aside.
In the same frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium to high heat. Add in garlic and spring onions, stir to cook for a minute or until fragrant. Add in the miso and butter, stirring quickly. Once it bubbles and in the wine. Cook until the alcohol smell dissipates, then add in the soy sauce, prawns and pasta. Cook until the pasta has heated through. If it looks a little dry, splash in a tablespoon or more of pasta water to loosen it up. Taste the pasta and add salt or pepper if needed. Give it a stir through and take the pan off the heat. Add in the parmesan and cheese and stir it through the pasta.
Leftovers – Allow the pasta to cool completely at room temperature. Transfer the pasta into a sealed container and refrigerate, it’ll be good for up to 3 days.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Butter Soy Pasta with Prawn and Miso
Ingredients
- 350 gm dried spaghetti (or your choice of pasta)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 350 gm raw prawns (peeled and deveined) (NOTE 1)
- 50 gm butter (soften)
- 2 tbsp sweet miso (or white miso) (NOTE 2)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced spring onions (scallions)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine (NOTE 3)
- ¼ cup light soy sauce (NOTE 4)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet but make sure not to overcook it. The pasta should be a little firm when bitten (al dente). Scoop half a cup of pasta water and set aside, then drain the pasta using a colander. Rinse the pasta quickly with cold water and leave it in the colander so any excess water can drip off the pasta whilst making the sauce.
- In a small bowl mix whisk together the butter and the miso until smooth, it's okay if it's a little lumpy.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a deep large frying pan over high heat. Add in the prawns and sear them on each side for 30 seconds. Transfer the prawns onto a plate and set aside.
- In the same frying pan, heat the remaining oil over medium to high heat. Add in garlic and spring onions, stir to cook for a minute or until fragrant. Add in the miso and butter, stirring quickly. Once it bubbles and in the wine. Cook until the alcohol smell dissipates, then add in the soy sauce, prawns and pasta. Cook until the pasta has heated through. If it looks a little dry, splash in a tablespoon or more of pasta water to loosen it up. Taste the pasta and add salt or pepper if needed. Give it a stir through and take the pan off the heat. Add in the parmesan and cheese and stir it through the pasta.
