Spicy Miso Carbonara

This is one of Chrissy Teigen’s recipes that almost broke the internet. Everyone was making it, it was everywhere. And rightfully so, as it is so damn good. I have included a few little tweaks and tips below, as I have a little carbonara hack that she did not include (TAKE THAT CHRISSY) in her recipe and it helps SO so much, especially if you have never made a carbonara before. I understand this seems a bit intimidating, but it is not as scary as it seems.

what you need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces thick-cut or regular bacon or pancetta, diced (about 1 cup) (I used pancetta as it is the traditional carbonara protein)
• 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons white miso paste, at room temp you can find this at Whole Foods
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 3 eggs
• ¾ pound dry spaghetti (or linguine or fettuccine)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup sliced scallion greens, plus more for garnish
• 1 1/4 cups FINELY GRATED parmesan cheese (DO NOT USE THE KIND WITH THE GREEN LID, either buy it already fine or put it in a food processor and get it to resemble sand. Seriously. This is the most important thing.)
• special equipment needed: tongs, whisk (you can always use a fork instead)

what you need to do:

• Bring a large pot of water with a very large pinch of salt to a boil.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat your oil and then add in your bacon or pancetta. Cook until crispy and the fat has rendered down. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Scoop about 1 cup of the pasta water into a small bowl and set aside.
• Drain the pasta and set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, miso paste, chili oil, and pepper. Whisk and whisk and whisk it is completely combined and it resembles almost a cornbread or cake batter. It should be pretty smooth and thick.
• Now, while whisking as quickly as you can, pour in a large splash (about 1/2 cup) of the reserved pasta water and just whisk and whisk until combined. This is called tempering, and what it does is bring the eggs up in temperature so that when you add them back into the hot pan, it does not cook them, as that would turn your pasta into scrambled eggs. Gross.
• Okay, now, put your pan with the bacon and pancetta back onto the burner at medium- low heat (about a 4 on the knob).
• Add your noodles and toss until everything is fairly hot, I like to use tongs, I find that is the easiest way to do this.
• Adjust the heat to low, about a 2.
• Now, very carefully, add half of the egg mixture to the pan. Stir with your tongs vigorously until it has coated all of the noodles. Now add the rest of your egg mixture and continue to stir. Use the tongs to break up the stringy noodles and make sure everything gets coated.
• Stir for about 2 minutes to make sure the eggs are cooked.
• If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add in a splash of pasta water. Continue to add a little splash at time until it has reached your desired consistency.
• Add in the green onions (save some for garnish) and stir until combined.
• Plate in shallow bowls and top with a sprinkle of parm, some pepper, and more green onions!