Ingredients
200 grams dry rigatoni or pasta of choice
50 grams pork belly or 3 slices bacon
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2.5 tablespoons gochujang paste
¾ cup milk
¼ cup heavy cream
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup reserved starchy pasta water
Optional garnishes: parmesan cheese and chopped chives or green onions
Instructions
1. Cook rigatoni in salted boiling water until al dente (about 10-15 minutes). Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
2. Cut pork belly into 1-inch pieces and brown in a pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side until crispy. Remove pork but leave about 1 tablespoon of rendered fat in the pan.
3. Add sliced garlic to the fat and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Stir in gochujang and cook for about 1 minute to release aromas and deepen flavor.
5. Pour in milk, heavy cream, and soy sauce, then simmer for 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Keep sauce on low heat if pasta is not ready.
6. Return cooked rigatoni, pork belly, and reserved pasta water to the sauce. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta well and reaches desired consistency.
7. Remove from heat and, if desired, top with grated parmesan cheese and chopped chives or green onions before serving.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
🍜 Use pasta with ridges for better sauce adherence; rigatoni or penne are great choices.
🥛 The combination of milk and cream lightens the sauce, preventing heaviness while keeping it creamy.
💧 Do not rinse pasta to retain natural starches that help thicken the sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- None: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Fusion
- Diet: Omnivore
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: value unavailable
- Sugar: value unavailable
- Sodium: value unavailable
- Fat: value unavailable
- Saturated Fat: value unavailable
- Unsaturated Fat: value unavailable
- Trans Fat: value unavailable
- Carbohydrates: value unavailable
- Fiber: value unavailable
- Protein: value unavailable
- Cholesterol: value unavailable