Kimchi Carbonara

The chef Melanie Hye Jin Meyer is constantly researching Korean foodways to create dishes for her Korean-inspired pop-up restaurant Tiny Chef in St. Louis. Kimchi carbonara, which she was seeing all over Korean TikTok, spoke to her. “I love how Korea somewhat recently started introducing cheese on everything,” Ms. Meyer said. “I’m all for it, especially being from the Midwest.” This is her take on the cultural mashup as a Korean adoptee. She cooks down napa cabbage kimchi until soft, and cuts through the buttery base with white wine. The dish comes together quickly, so have everything prepped and ready to go before starting the sauce. —Elyse Inamine

Ingredients

• Coarse kosher salt

• 1

  pound thick spaghetti

• 4

  tablespoons salted butter

• 1

  small shallot, minced (1 tablespoon)

• 6

  medium garlic cloves, minced (2 tablespoons)

• 1

  tablespoon minced ginger

• ¼

  cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay

• 1

  teaspoon black pepper

• ½

  cup diced napa cabbage kimchi

• ¼

  cup kimchi juice (see Tip)

• 3

  large egg yolks, at room temperature

• ½

  cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

• 1

  cup red spinach or regular spinach, thinly sliced

• Gochugaru (Korean red-chile flakes), for sprinkling

Preparation

1. In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
3. Deglaze the skillet by adding the white wine and stirring to loosen any browned bits, and season with 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper. Let simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
4. Slip the kimchi into the skillet and cook until the cabbage is slightly wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss well to coat.
5. Once the pasta is incorporated, remove from the heat, add the kimchi juice, egg yolks and cheese, and toss vigorously to coat the pasta. If the pasta seems dry, add some reserved pasta cooking water. Divide among four bowls and top with the spinach, more Parmesan and a sprinkle of gochugaru.