When you think of “pasta” you probably conjure up ideas of rolling hills in Italy and old Sicilian ladies rolling out dough and making pasta from scratch. What you probably don’t think of are places like Japan or Thailand or Peru. But, ignoring places outside of Italy is a real issue since there are some pretty amazing pasta dishes created all over the world. Here are five of our absolute favorites.
- Tallarines Verde (or Green Spaghetti) – Tallarines Verde is a common dish in Peru that consists of thick spaghetti noodles in a green sauce that’s been compared to a Peruvian version of pesto. It’s not quite pesto as it uses queso fresco melted down into the sauce. One thing’s for sure though, tallarines verde is delicious and the thick pesto-y sauce creates a heavy dish that’s a perfect dish for cold weather. Want to try it out? Here’s a great recipe.
- Thai Sesame Noodles – If you’ve never had Thai Sesame Noodles at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese takeout menu (we don’t know why Thai noodles are always on Chinese takeout menus, but we’re glad they are). Thai noodles are spaghetti noodles covered in a creamy thai peanut sauce and topped with peanuts and thinly sliced cucumbers. This NYTimes recipe is one of the closest versions we can find to traditional takeout noodles.
- Japchae – For a really interesting take on pasta noodles, try the Korean dish, japchae. Featuring noodles made from sweet potatoes and flavored with both soy sauce and sugar, it’s an interesting take on both noodles and stir fry. Try out this recipe from Chow Hound to test it out on your own.
- Sopa Seca – Moving back over to North America, Sopa Seca is a noodle casserole popular in Mexico. Sopa Seca uses noodles called “fideo” which are similar to spaghetti, but thinner, like angel hair pasta. The noodles are covered in a chile sauce and baked. For an authentic version, pair it with pickled chiles. Here’s a great recipe to get your started.
- Porkolt and Nokedli– A popular dish, porkolt is a Hungarian veal stew that’s traditionally served over homemade pasta called nokedli. Occasionally beef is substituted for the veal, but the sauce is always the same and features a mix of chilis, tomatoes, garlic, and paprika. Try this recipe from SBS to make it yourself.
