Napolitan (Japanese ketchup spaghetti)
ナポリタン · Yokohama-style spaghetti stir-fried with ketchup, sausage and peppers
Napolitan was born in post-war Yokohama, where a hotel chef made spaghetti for occupying soldiers with what he had, and it went on to become the comfort food of Japanese coffee shops and school lunches. Soft spaghetti is stir-fried with sliced pork frankfurters, onion, green pepper and mushrooms, then coated in caramelised ketchup with a knob of butter and a shower of Parmesan. It is unashamedly sweet, tangy and child-friendly. For a vegetarian plate, swap the sausages for 150 g more mushrooms. The common mistake is just warming the ketchup: fry it in the pan first until it darkens and smells jammy, which takes away the raw sourness. Chef's tip: cook the pasta a minute past al dente, as Japanese diners do, so it soaks up the sauce.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 7 oz spaghetti
- 1 tbsp saltfor the pasta water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 pork frankfurtersabout 150 g, sliced on the diagonal (or more mushrooms for a vegetarian version)
- ½ onionsliced
- 1 green peppersliced
- 3 ½ oz button mushroomssliced
- 6 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ oz butter
- 2 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan (optional)
- 1 dash chilli hot sauce (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 2: Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry 4 pork frankfurters until browned and heated through.
3 minStep 3: Add ½ onion, 1 green pepper and 3 ½ oz button mushrooms and fry until the onion is soft and the mushrooms have browned.
4 minStep 4: Push everything to one side, add 6 tbsp tomato ketchup to the empty side of the pan and fry it for 1–2 minutes until it darkens and thickens.
2 minStep 5: Add the spaghetti, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ oz butter, 2 tbsp milk and ¼ tsp black pepper and toss over the heat until the noodles are evenly orange and glossy, adding a splash of pasta water if it is dry.
2 minStep 6: Serve with 2 tbsp grated Parmesan and 1 dash chilli hot sauce at the table.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 98 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does napolitan (Japanese ketchup spaghetti) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of spaghetti?
- Linguine or any long pasta, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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