Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Italian Spaghetti Carbonara
意式卡邦尼意粉
Recipe overview
Italian Spaghetti Carbonara is a practical home-cooked dish for a Hong Kong family kitchen. Twelve clear stages control preparation, heat and doneness to deliver glossy spaghetti coated in an egg-cheese emulsion with crisp bacon.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 400 g Dry spaghetti
- 4 piece egg
- 100 g Parmesan
- 180 g guanciale
- 2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
02
Tools
- pot
- colander
- frying pan
- tongs
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- grater
- measuring cup
- serving bowl
- timer
03
Steps
Step 1
Boil the salted pasta water
Put 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot of water and bring it to a vigorous rolling boil over high heat.
Step 2
Cut the guanciale into strips
Cut all 180 g guanciale into even strips about 1 cm wide so the fat renders at the same rate.
Step 3
Whisk the egg and cheese mixture
Whisk 4 eggs with 90 g Parmesan and 1½ teaspoons black pepper until smooth; keep the remaining cheese and pepper for serving.
Step 4
Cook the spaghetti until al dente
Add all 400 g dry spaghetti to the boiling water, stir to separate, and boil for 8 minutes or until the centre is just firm.
Step 5
Reserve the starchy pasta water
Before draining, scoop out 250 ml cloudy pasta water and keep it beside the stove for loosening the sauce.
Step 6
Render the guanciale until crisp
Put the 180 g guanciale in a dry frying pan and cook over medium-low heat for 7 minutes, stirring twice, until crisp-edged with clear rendered fat.
Step 7
Drain the spaghetti without rinsing
Drain the cooked spaghetti thoroughly but do not rinse it; keep it hot so its surface starch can bind the sauce.
Step 8
Coat the spaghetti in guanciale fat
Add the hot spaghetti to the pan and toss over medium-low heat for about 30 seconds until every strand is lightly coated in the rendered fat.
Step 9
Take the pan completely off the heat
Move the pan away from the burner and wait only until the hard sizzling stops; the pan must remain hot but not be over direct heat.
Step 10
Fold in the egg mixture off the heat
Pour in the egg mixture and toss continuously off the heat for 30 seconds, scraping the pan, until it clings as a creamy coating without visible curds.
Step 11
Loosen the sauce to a glossy emulsion
Add the reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time while tossing until the sauce is glossy and flows around the strands without pooling.
Step 12
Finish with Parmesan and pepper
Divide the carbonara among 4 warm bowls immediately, then use the remaining 10 g Parmesan and ½ teaspoon black pepper over the top.
Common mistakes
- Adding the egg mixture over direct heat scrambles it instead of making an emulsion.
- Discarding all pasta water removes the starch needed to loosen the sauce.
- Rinsing the spaghetti washes away the surface starch that holds the egg-cheese sauce.
Tips
Move the pan fully off the burner before pouring and folding in the egg mixture quickly.
Add reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time until every strand is glossily coated.
