Once the bacon is crisped to your liking, remove it from the heat and drain the bacon on a paper towel. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan, and return the bacon to the pan as well. By this time, your water is probably boiling and ready to cook the noodles. Toss them in, and keep a close eye; they will be cooked in about three to four minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the udon cooking water before draining the noodles.
Add the noodles to the pan with the bacon and give them a quick stir to coat. Add about 3 or 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to the bowl with the eggs, and whisk to combine. This helps temper the eggs and makes sure you don’t end up with scrambled eggs instead of a glossy, rich sauce. Add the egg mixture to the pan and then make sure the noodles are all evenly coated.
Serve udon carbonara with a sprinkle of nori kumi furikake for a dash of color, then dive in!
Does udon carbonara live up to the hype?
The restaurant that created udon carbonara has only six counter seats and two tables, so once the word got out, people waited in line for hours to try it. If someone wants to spot me a ticket to Tokyo, I will gladly wait in line to give it a try and report back, but I really enjoyed this simplified version of the viral sensation. The texture of the udon noodles was prefect, and they are a great vehicle for the rich carbonara-style sauce. I also liked the addition of the furikake as a garnish. It added another flavor dimension and a lot of visual interest. I plan to try it again, but this time in the deconstructed style—with a runny egg yolk on top and bacon tempura on the side—to see if it’s harder, and if it elevates the dish.
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