Japanese-Style Carbonara (Japanese Carbonara with Kombu Powder and Bonito Flakes)

Grind kombu in a mill blender to make kombu powder. Store-bought kombu powder can also be used. Gather the ingredients together with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, pancetta, whole egg, and bonito flakes.

Both Parmigiano and kombu have glutamic acid as their main umami compound. Kombu also adds body, so combining it with the cheese binds the sauce nicely to the pasta. To keep the Japanese character from becoming too strong, Parmigiano is used alongside it here.

Cut the pancetta into short strips. Cut it to a moderate thickness and width.

Add a generous amount of olive oil to a frying pan, add the cut pancetta, and turn on the heat. Draw out the umami slowly.

Rather than leaving it untouched, cook while stirring moderately. Cook until slightly crisp, but turn off the heat while some moisture remains, since making it truly crispy removes the springy texture.

Start boiling about 80g of pasta (Felicetti) per serving. Rather than relying on a timer, check the doneness by the springiness in your hand and the bite.

Add about half a ladle of the cooking water to the frying pan once the heat is off and it has settled. At this point the pan temperature drops to around 100°C.

Crack the whole egg into a bowl and beat lightly, just until the white is broken up. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fold it in gently.

Add 2 pinches of kombu powder and 2 pinches of bonito flakes to the egg mixture. Grind in black pepper and mix.

Once the pan has cooled enough, add the egg mixture all at once.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss it all at once, watching the heat level and timing.

Judge the point where it is neither overcooked nor undercooked. Once it begins to set, finish it with residual heat.

Plate the pasta without leaving any sauce behind, and grate fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top. Topping with extra kombu powder and bonito flakes to taste makes the Japanese umami stand out even more.