Pork Miso Carbonara

Cut the pork belly into short strips. Use about 80-100g, or as much as you like. It works the same with thick-cut or thinly sliced meat.

Add about half a tablespoon of miso to the pork and rub it in. Adding a little liquid such as sake makes it easier to mix, removes odor, and tenderizes the meat.

Let the rubbed meat rest in the refrigerator. Leaving it overnight lets the flavor soak in more, but you can use it right away if you are short on time.

Mince the garlic. Slices are fine if mincing is too much trouble. You can also leave it out.

Crack the egg into a bowl, add grated cheese and 1 tablespoon of water, and mix to make the egg mixture. Add 1 egg yolk if you want it richer.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Coat a frying pan with olive oil, add the miso-rubbed pork, and cook slowly to render out the pork fat.

Once the pork fat has rendered out, cook the garlic in that fat over low heat to draw out its aroma. Miso burns easily so avoid high heat, but letting it char slightly brings out a toasty aroma and a grown-up bitterness.

Add water to stop the browning, and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the pan to dissolve their umami into the sauce.

Add salt to the boiling water (1.5-2% salt concentration). Add the noodles and boil, stirring so they do not stick together.

Rinse the boiled noodles lightly in hot water to remove the sliminess, drain, and add them to the pan with the sauce. If there is not enough liquid, add cooking water while tossing so the noodles absorb the flavor.

Turn off the heat, and lower the pan's temperature by tossing it or setting it on a damp cloth before adding the egg mixture. Reheat gently over the lowest heat while tossing, and cook until it thickens.

Taste and adjust, adding a little hondashi as a secret ingredient if something seems missing. Serve in a bowl and finish with grated cheese and freshly ground coarse black pepper.