Chogochujang Kkotge Cold Capellini (Spicy-Sour Crab Angel Hair)

Name: Chogochujang Kkotge Cold Capellini (Spicy-Sour Crab Angel Hair)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: capellini 160 g; crab meat 120 g; cucumber 80 g; cherry tomatoes 100 g; chogochujang 3 tbsp; olive oil 1.5 tbsp; lemon juice 1 tbsp; minced garlic 1 tsp; sugar 1 tsp; salt 0.5 tsp

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Ice-chilled angel hair takes a dressing of chogochujang (Korean chili paste sharpened with vinegar and sugar), loosened with olive oil and lemon juice, that tastes spicy, sour, and sweet at once.

Sweet crab meat and crunchy cucumber soften the heat, and the juice of cherry tomatoes thins the thick dressing on the plate. Capellini, among the thinnest pastas, overcooks fast and sticks together at room temperature unless it is chilled the moment it leaves the pot. The chilled noodles are pressed lightly in the sieve to shed their water, which would otherwise thin the dressing. Salt waits until the very end, since chogochujang varies in saltiness.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Julienne 80g cucumber into thin, even strips and halve 100g cherry tomatoes.

Keep them refrigerated with the crab meat so every topping stays cold and crisp until the pasta is ready to dress.
2

In a mixing bowl, combine 3 tablespoons chogochujang, 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir until the oil no longer floats in separate streaks.
3

Bring salted water to a strong boil over high heat, then add 160g capellini.

Stir continuously for the first 30 seconds so the very fine strands separate instead of sticking together.
4

Cook for about 3 minutes, just until the firm center is nearly gone, then transfer immediately to ice water for 30 seconds.

The pasta is ready when it feels fully cold to the touch.
5

Drain the noodles thoroughly in a sieve and press lightly to remove trapped water.

Toss first with half of the dressing so the sauce clings to the strands instead of becoming diluted.
6

Fold in 120g crab meat, the chilled cucumber, and the cherry tomatoes, then add the remaining dressing.

Refrigerate for 5 minutes, taste, and adjust the salt only at the end before serving cold.