I once had a shio kombu and sakura ebi pasta with truffle oil at an izakaya, and it stuck with me. For this version, I swapped the truffle oil for something closer to home, the Chinese scallion and shallot oil I make from spring onion that would otherwise go to waste.
Instead of somen or angel hair pasta, I used bean curd skin for a low-carb version. Bean curd skin has a distinct bean taste that needs to be cooked out in hot water first, and a texture that can be a little tough on its own. Steaming it briefly after boiling is a small hack that softens it while keeping some bite.
To finish the dish, I bring together the scallion oil, chili oil for those who like some heat, shio kombu for umami, fresh and crispy spring onion, and the flavour of the sea from sakura ebi, topped with tobiko for crunch and colour. It is a fusion built from an izakaya memory, Chinese pantry staples, and a low carb swap that started as a way to use up spring onion.
Chinese-Japanese Fusion Low Carb Scallion Oil Noodles
Ingredients
- 125 g beancurd skin 豆腐皮
- 4 tbsp scallion and shallot oil
- 1 tsp chili oil optional
- 10 g shio kombu 塩昆布
- 5 g sakura ebi 桜えび
- 1 tbsp tobiko
- fried shallots for garnishing
- crispy spring onion for garnishing
- chopped spring onion for garnishing
Instructions
- Separate the bean curd skin into individual sheets. Roll and slice into thin strips.
- Cook the bean curd skin strips in boiling water to remove the bean taste. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Steam for about 10 minutes after boiling. This softens the texture while keeping some bite.
- Put sakura ebi in a pan and dry-fry on low heat for 5 minutes until crispy and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Drizzle scallion oil and chili oil over the bean curd skin, add shio kombu, and mix well.
- Add crispy spring onion and sakura ebi, and top with tobiko.
- Garnish with fried shallots and chopped spring onion. Drizzle a little scallion and shallot oil for some shine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Quantity of ingredients: What I have provided serves as a guide. The beauty of cooking is that you can adjust them according to your liking. Add more shio kombu if you prefer it saltier, or add more sakura ebi or tobiko if you like a more intense seafood flavour.
- Choice of noodles: Fine and thin noodles like Somen, Angel Hair, Capellini or Yangchun noodles (阳春面) are recommended if you want to spare yourself the hassle of preparing the bean curd skin.
- Low carb alternative: Konjac noodles, also known as shirataki (白滝 / しらたき), are a good option. However, the texture is quite different from regular noodles and bean curd skin noodles. Regular noodles absorb the flavours better, while bean curd skin noodles are a fairly close alternative. Shirataki doesn't absorb the flavours as well, but it's still decent and makes a good low carb choice! If you're trying shirataki, just remember to cook it in boiling water for about 5 minutes to remove the smell before adding the scallion oil and the rest of the ingredients.
