Have you been cooking spaghetti carbonara wrong your whole life? Foodie reveals why you need to STOP adding cream to the iconic dish
- A home cook has shared her simple recipe for the perfect spaghetti carbonara
- Ayeh Far shared a now-viral TikTok video showing how she makes the Italian dish
- You’ll need spaghetti, shiitake mushrooms, eggs, hard cheese like Pecorino
A home cook has revealed her simple four-ingredient recipe for the perfect spaghetti carbonara – and why you should never add cream to the dish.
Ayeh Far, from Sydney, shared a now-viral TikTok video showing exactly how she makes the classic Italian dish that’s traditionally made with raw eggs.
‘The key to making an authentic carbonara is not to use any cream. The creaminess comes from mixing egg and Pecorino Romano cheese which creates a creamy silky sauce in minutes,’ she explained.
To make the dish in less than 15 minutes, you’ll need spaghetti, shiitake mushrooms, eggs, hard cheese like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano and black pepper.
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Ayeh Far (left) has revealed her simple four-ingredient recipe for the perfect spaghetti carbonara – and why you should never add cream to the dish
The recipe typically includes spaghetti, eggs and cheese.
But Ayeh has added her own twist to the classic by creating a ‘meatless’ version using shiitake mushrooms.
‘I’ve used shiitake as it gives a rich flavour and meaty like texture and is a good substitute for bacon,’ she explained.
She started by adding two egg yolks, an egg, black pepper and freshly grated Pecorino cheese.
‘If you’re still adding cream to your pasta carbonara then today’s the day to redeem yourself and make it right,’ Ayeh said.
She sliced the mushrooms and sautéed in a pan until they are browned.
Next, she cooked the pasta in heavily salted water. Ayeh then used a splash of pasta water to ‘thin out’ the sauce.
She took the mushrooms off the heat, added pasta, and poured the sauce through, stirring until the ingredients are well combined.
‘Give it all a good mix together. It would create a silky, creamy carbonara,’ she said.
‘There’s no better way to show your loved ones you care than by making them a nice big bowl of comfort food so get cooking and whip them up this magical dish.’
To make a creamy sauce, she mixed two egg yolks, an egg, pepper and grated Pecorino cheese
Ayeh has gained more than 600,000 fans on TikTok for posting fun videos of her cooking
Her video has since been viewed more than 160,000 times, with many saying they were keen to try out the simple recipe at home.
Others pointed out whether the pasta tastes ‘eggy’, to which Ayeh explained: ‘Doesn’t taste eggy at all as there’s more cheese than egg.
‘I don’t like the taste of eggs myself so I totally get it but try it… you can even add one less egg if you like,’ she added.
In April 2018, Barilla’s executive chef Andrea Tranchero shared his go-to recipe to help people create a deliciously authentic carbonara at home.
‘The secret to cooking authentic carbonara is to keep it simple – it only needs five ingredients and cream is not one of them,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Nothing beats the homemade creaminess derived from the emulsion of raw egg, cooking water and Pecorino Romano cheese.’