Vongole Pasta Rich in Garlic Flavor
A pasta combining the savory umami of clam broth and chewy sujebi noodles with rich buttery flavor.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This pasta uses homemade chewy sujebi as noodles to bring out the deep umami of clam broth. A generous amount of garlic and butter gives it a rich, nutty depth with no greasiness.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Hard clams (or manila clams, manila clams)10, 500 g
- Fresh parsley3 sprigs
- Garlic10 cloves
- Butter2 pieces, 70 g
- Olive oil
- Water1 1/2 cups
Dough ingredients (2 servings)
- Flour2 cups
- Hot water8 tbsp
- Cooking oil1 tbsp
- Purge the clams in salt water covered with newspaper or a plastic bag in a cool spot for about 2 hours so they spit out any mud or grit.
- Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
For the broth that provides all the savory flavor and seasoning in vongole pasta, you can prepare hard clams, littleneck clams, or Manila clams.
The clams were purged in salt water covered with newspaper or a plastic bag in a cool spot for about 2 hours to let them spit out mud and grit, so there is no grit when you eat.
I bought 10 clams, each 1 about 2 to 3 times the size of a Manila clam.
Chef Choi Hyun-seok famously forgot the garlic in his cooking competition, so here are 10 large whole garlic cloves, plus two pieces of butter to give the pasta its creamy richness.
He insisted on using fresh parsley, so I prepared that too: 3 sprigs.
Slice the garlic not too thinly, and finely mince the parsley.
Make the clam broth
For pasta, you do not add too much water to the clams; you draw out their concentrated essence, which seasons the dish without extra salt and adds deep umami.
Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water, enough to submerge the clams halfway, cover with a lid, and steam-cook them.
Once they have all opened their shells, they are fully cooked.
Remove the meat from the shells and keep it soaked in the broth so it stays moist and does not dry out.
Related post on the blog (Korean)blog.naver.com/ppunwife/223549093886For the sujebi dough, you can refer to the sujebi dough recipe on my blog.
Normally, I add salt to dough for sujebi or kalguksu.
The chef said he did not add salt to his pasta dough, so I made it without salt too.
Make the sujebi dough
Roll out the dough that has rested in the refrigerator for about 1 hour until thin, just like for sujebi.
Cut it into squares of about 2 cm across as shown in the photo, then pinch the opposite sides together to shape it.
I went through the effort to make it look like pasta shapes, but you can simply tear the sujebi by hand.
Cook the dough
Drop the dough into rolling boiling water and take it out immediately once it floats to the top.
Because it will be stir-fried once more later, do not cook it completely; this ensures a chewy texture when finished.
Think of it as cooking pasta noodles al dente.
Drain the water, and coat with olive oil so the pieces do not stick together.
Make the vongole pasta
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a heated pan and saute the garlic until golden, making sure it does not burn.
Pour in 1 cup of the clam cooking broth, and once it comes to a boil...
Add the sujebi and stir-fry briefly; add more broth if it seems low, then add the butter, clam meat, and parsley all at once, and simmer briefly just until everything comes together.
I prepared ingredients for 2 servings and cooked 1 serving to eat.
It was so delicious that I plan to make and eat it once more.
Finish
Transfer to a dish and finish with a quick drizzle of olive oil, and the Choi Hyun-seok-style vongole pasta is complete.
Just as the chef said, it is seasoned perfectly even without adding salt to the dough or while stir-frying.
Because the broth was concentrated with as little water as possible, its natural salinity and umami make every bite intensely flavorful.
It felt like quite a lot of butter at first, but the generous amount of garlic cuts through any heaviness, leaving a nutty, aromatic finish on the palate.
Even made with my modest skills, it was so delicious that I did not once think of needing a pickle to cut through it.
I made this following his appearance on Baek Jong-won's Cooking Secrets and my previous vongole pasta recipes as closely as possible.
Enjoy this vongole pasta as a weekend brunch menu.
Ppunwife's tips
- For pasta, do not use too much water with the clams; draw out their concentrated essence so it provides both seasoning and umami without extra salt.
- Do not fully cook the dough in boiling water, as it will be stir-fried once more later; this keeps the texture chewy in the finished dish.
FAQ
Can I use other clams instead of hard clams?
You can substitute littleneck clams or Manila clams.
Do I really not need to add salt when cooking?
The clam broth concentrated with a small amount of water contains enough natural salinity and umami to season the dish properly without extra salt.
Do I have to shape the sujebi dough into pasta shapes one by one?
You do not need to shape them; you can simply tear the dough by hand as you would for regular sujebi.
How do I prevent the boiled sujebi dough from sticking together?
After scooping them out of the boiling water and draining, toss them evenly with olive oil to prevent sticking.
