Mentaiko-Tobikko Cold Japanese Pasta Tossed with Truffle Cream

I talked about Mentaiko in my last post. Well, here's what I did with it - cold Japanese pasta.

This dish will burn a big hole in your pocket if you order them in one of the top restaurants in Asia - I won't mention which. I've done a home version here that costs me a fraction and tastes wonderful. By the way, I'm a late adopter - this dish was all the rage a few years back in the fine dining scene. But that's the wonderful thing about food - there's no such thing as a late comer. It's as relevant today as it was back in 2009.

I used Japanese spaghetti - they are cute little shorties like these compared with the Italian ones. Yes, the Japs have miniaturised pasta too.

Ingredients:
1 packet of Japanese pasta, 150g
Mentaiko, 40g
Tobikko, 30g (the bright orange salty roe you find on top of sushi)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to lubricate
Japanese Sesame Salt, 1 tsp
Fresh Crabmeat (optional)
Black Truffles (sauce or cream), 2 tsp

Japanese Seaweed and Toasted Sesame Seeds, to garnish

A Dash of Truffle Oil at the table

Method:
1. Place clean, empty plates in fridge.
2. Cook pasta according to instructions on package, about 4 minutes for al-dente.
3. Drain and rinse pasta under cold running water.
4. Scrap mentaiko and mix together with pasta, tobikko, and truffle cream. Mix well.
5. Add EVOO if it's too dry to mix.
6. Taste and add salt.
7. Leave in fridge to cool.
8. Serve very cold on very cold plates.
9. Top with fresh crab meat and/or shredded seaweed.
10. Add a dash of truffle oil and Japanese sesame salt at the table.

The Tobikko provides the occasional salty pop in your mouth, while the truffles add a deep complex flavour, yes, bringing my 2 favourite cuisines together - Italian and Japanese. Nom nom. Arigato Gozaimas!

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