Hi all, welcome to Italia Plant Based.
Today I would like to show you how I
like to make carbonara. It's a vegan recipe with a
secret ingredient that will make this
pasta dish the best carbonara you've ever tasted.
We start this preparation
by peeling and chopping a carrot in pieces.
We use the carrot to replace the egg yolk.
It will give us the right colour and texture.
Then we put the carrot pieces
in a small pot to boil
so that it loses al its flavour.
CArrots lose flavour when they boil
and we don't want the carrot flavour in the
carbonara.
While the carrot boils
we prepare the smoked tofu.
We cut it into small dice
or into thin stripes. But
I prefer small dice.
Smoked tofu is really good
and in this preparation is perfect to
replace pancetta/bacon.
In the past I really didn't like tofu.
I though it to be bland and flavourless.
But then I travelled to Asia, and I fell in love with it.
Tofu must be prepared properly, before being eaten. Just like meat.
So we cut the tofu in dice and we put it aside.
Then in a blender
we prepare the sauce
adding a small piece of onion,
a small piece of garlic,
I put these two ingredients to
recall the aroma of the Italian pancetta.
Then we add soy milk
or any other plant-based milk.
As long as it is not sweetened.
We add the salt
the paprika,
the Kala Namak - this is a rock-salt
from Himalaya. Kala Namak contains
minerals that taste and smell
like egg, and will give our carbonara
dish the perfect flavour. This ingredient cannot be missed.
Then we add soy sauce
for an umami boost,
and nutritional yeast. These two will taste like cheese together,
and will recreate the taste of parmesan.
Now we add the boiled carrots,
they need to be soft.
As I mentioned before, the carrots will have lost
their flavour by now,
but they will give us the
perfect color and texture.
Then we add a tsp of cornstarch to
bind the sauce together.
Blend for a minute or so
till all the ingredients are
well mixed and completely smooth.
It should look something like this.
Then when we warm it up we activate the
cornstarch that will make our sauce
creamy.
We now bring the water for the pasta to a boil.
And in the meantime we stir fry the tofu
just like if it were bacon.
I add a couple of tbsp of olive oil,
tofu,
we like it with a lot of tofu
you choose your own quantity.
Season with black pepper
and salt
and let sizzle for a few minutes
The water is boiling, now we add the coarse sea salt
and the spaghetti.
I prefer bronze cut because they
stick better to the sauce
thanks to their rugged surface.
When the tofu is nice and crispy
we add the sauce in the pan
and let warm up on medium to low heat
for a few minutes, until you'll see
that the cornstarch starts to bind the sauce.
Now add some pasta cooking water
to the sauce
and when the pasta is very al dente
add it to the pan with the sauce.
Always save some pasta water.
because we need to add it to the pasta
to make it super creamy.
This is key step in Italian cooking.
Towards the end we add a generous amount of
black pepper. Black peppers really defines the carbonara.
In the past carbonara was made by "CARBONARI"
the people that worked in coal mines.
The carbonari always had their hands dirty, black, from the coal.
And when they prepared the pasta, the coal would end up in the
dish, making it black. For this reason pepper is added.
To stay true to this tradition.
Anyways, give it a nice but gentle stir,
and cook it in the pan till al dente
adding pasta water if the pasta gets too dry.
Thanks to our sauce this carbonara will
look and taste just like a regular
carbonara. It's sooo delicious.
Now I plate it
this is my favourite part
because soon I can eat it.
I add some extra tofu on top
and a good amount of the
super yummy sauce.
some more black pepper.
and buon appetito!
I hope you liked this interpretation of
carbonara. If so don't forget to
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Thanks a lot for watching
and see you soon with the next recipe!