Chamnamul Bacon Spaghetti

Instructions

1. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, draining it 2 minutes before the time on the package. Toss with 2 tbsp grapeseed oil in a bowl.
2. Rinse the chamnamul in cold water, trim off the tougher part of the stems, and pat dry. Separate the stems from the leaves and finely chop the stems.
3. Cut the bacon into 1cm pieces and thinly slice the scallion. Slice or mince the garlic.
4. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well ahead of time.
5. Heat a pan and cook the bacon until crisp.
6. Wipe some of the rendered bacon fat off the pan with a paper towel, then add the scallion and garlic and cook over low heat.
7. Crumble in the chili flakes and add the chopped chamnamul stems, sautéing before pouring in the sauce and mixing well.
8. Add the pasta water and spaghetti, tossing well while letting the liquid reduce so the sauce soaks into the noodles, then turn off the heat.
9. Add a handful of chamnamul leaves and toss with the residual heat before transferring to a plate.
10. Drizzle with sesame oil and pepper, then top with the remaining chamnamul to finish.

Tips

• Among mountain greens, chamnamul stands out for its good texture and its distinctive bitter, fragrant flavor. It’s in season from late summer into fall, but greenhouse cultivation makes it easy to find year-round.
• If you want to preserve that distinctive bitterness, it’s better to cook it lightly or add it raw rather than fully blanching it.
• You can also turn chamnamul into a pesto by blending it with garlic, nuts, olive oil, and parmesan.
• It’s cheaper than basil or arugula and available year-round, so don’t be afraid to use it often.

Chamnamul Bacon Spaghetti
Equipment: pot, frying pan, knife, cutting board, mixing bowl
Ingredients (1 serving)

- spaghetti 100g
- spring greens (bangpung or cham-namul) 50g (chamnamul)
- bacon 3 slices
- scallion 1 stalk
- garlic 2 cloves
- red chili flakes 2
- grapeseed oil 2 tbsp
- pasta water 1 ladle (55ml)
- sesame oil a little
- salt 1 tbsp (for pasta water)
- black pepper a pinch
- sesame oil 1 tbsp
- soy sauce 1 tbsp
- sugar ½ tbsp

Instructions
1. Boil the spaghetti in salted water, draining it 2 minutes before the time on the package. Toss with 2 tbsp grapeseed oil in a bowl.
2. Rinse the chamnamul in cold water, trim off the tougher part of the stems, and pat dry. Separate the stems from the leaves and finely chop the stems.
3. Cut the bacon into 1cm pieces and thinly slice the scallion. Slice or mince the garlic.
4. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well ahead of time.
5. Heat a pan and cook the bacon until crisp.
6. Wipe some of the rendered bacon fat off the pan with a paper towel, then add the scallion and garlic and cook over low heat.
7. Crumble in the chili flakes and add the chopped chamnamul stems, sautéing before pouring in the sauce and mixing well.
8. Add the pasta water and spaghetti, tossing well while letting the liquid reduce so the sauce soaks into the noodles, then turn off the heat.
9. Add a handful of chamnamul leaves and toss with the residual heat before transferring to a plate.
10. Drizzle with sesame oil and pepper, then top with the remaining chamnamul to finish.

https://hong-recipe.pages.dev/en/recipes/chamnamul-bacon-spaghetti/