Soy Sauce Butter Pasta with King Oyster Mushrooms

Several years ago, K and I had lunch at a small noodle shop in Tokyo, where they only serve various kinds of spaghetti dishes. They ranged from spaghetti bolognese to soy sauce butter pasta. I opted for the latter since it's uncommon in the States. Combining soy sauce and butter wasn't new to me, as I had many servings of rice, soy sauce, butter, and eggs growing up. I just never had it with spaghetti and seaweed. Anyway, I was blown away by this simple dish, so K figured out how to recreate it when we returned home. Because K felt his way through it, he doesn't have exact measurements. As long as you find the right balance of ingredients for you, that's all that matters.

Recipe is after the jump. This one's for you, Josh!

Soy Sauce Butter Pasta with King Oyster Mushrooms

1 pack of the King Oyster mushrooms (~11 oz?), cut into small pieces that resemble sticks of gum

~1 tbsp olive oil

8-10 cloves minced garlic 

~3 tbsp butter

~1 tsp red pepper flakes

~1 tsp oregano

½ cup white wine

~1/4 cup or 5 ‘glugs’ soy sauce

1 box spaghetti

dried seaweed, cut into matchsticks

1) First sauté garlic in some olive oil and a small knob of butter.

2) Add red pepper flakes, more or less, to your taste.

3) After a few minutes, add the mushrooms and oregano.

4) Sauté for a couple minutes and then add 1/2 cup of white wine.

5) Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or so to cook off the alcohol.

6) Add the soy sauce to your taste. It's usually 5 'glugs' from the large bottle of soy sauce we have.

7) Right after you add the soy sauce, stir in about a 1/3 of a stick of butter (slice up the butter so that it incorporates faster into the sauce).

8) Finish it off with some black pepper.

9) Pour sauce over some cooked spaghetti, cooked according to package.

10) Top pasta with dried seaweed.