[Off HourBistro] Naporitan Spaghetti ナポリタン

Decided to start a new series — Off Hour Bistro I will be posting a recipe on the weekends whenever I made something (probably not every week but I’ll try my best!)

Today on the dinner table: Naporitan Spaghetti (also reads Napolitan / Japanese Ketchup Pasta)

Napolitan Spaghetti is a famed Yoshoku (Japanese adaptation of Western cuisine) dish loved by many in Japan, regardless of gender and age. Napolitan was created in Showa 20s (1940s) by Shigetada Irie (入江茂忠), the chef of the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama. Although the pasta dish was named after Naples, Italy (Napoli in Italian), there isn’t a dish called Napolitan in Italy.

While Napolitan often appears in cafes and yoshoku restaurants in Japan, it is actually an easy dish anyone can make at home.

Ingredients:

• 160g Spaghetti
• 4 Sausage
• 1/4 Onion
• 1 Green Pepper
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Reserved Pasta Water
• 1 tbsp salt

Sauce

• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• Salt to taste

* The ingredients listed are the most common ingredients in Napolitan, but feel free to replace the sausage with other protein (shrimp) or add other vegetables (mushroom) as you please. *

Steps:

1. Use a sharp knife to cut the ingredients. Slice the onions into half moons and julienne (thinly slice) the green pepper. Cut the sausages diagonally into thin slices.
2. Wait for the water to boil, then add 1 tbsp salt and the spaghetti into boiling water. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Towards the end of cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water on the side.
3. Add olive oil to the frying pan and stir-fry the onions and sausages. Add green peppers into the pan when the onions turn translucent.
4. Add the ingredients in “sauces” into the pan and continue stir-frying on medium heat. (Check the consistency of the sauce and add some pasta water if the sauce needs to loosen up).
5. Add the cooked spaghetti into the pan and mix everything up.

Enjoy!