This is an interesting and flavorful twist on a famous pasta dish, Incorporating the rich and creamy flavors of coconut milk and soy sauce, along with the earthy taste of shiitake mushrooms. Leave out the parmesan cheese the recipe calls for below and Coconut-Soy Shiitake Mushroom Alfredo is an easy and satisfying option for vegans or those seeking dairy-free alternatives.
The star of this dish are shiitake mushrooms, a popular variety of mushrooms that originated in East Asia, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. Shiitake mushrooms are prevalent among Asian cuisines and are highly regarded for their rich, savory, and earthy flavor. They are often described as having a meaty or umami quality, making them a popular ingredient in various cuisines worldwide.
Shiitake mushrooms provide a gateway, an opportunity, to fuse Asian flavors into any dish that calls for them. In this case it’s an otherwise basic, albeit famous, Italian-American dish – Fettuccini Alfredo.
Coconut milk provides the cream base. Soy sauce, freshly grated ginger, and scallions round out the asian inspired sauce ingredients. After less than 20 minutes of cooking you’ll be ready to toss your sauce with freshly grated parmesan cheese, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, chopped scallions, and a noodle of your choice (a long noodle like fettuccini or bucatini is recommend) to create a dish with flavors that punch well above its level of difficulty.
What does Fettuccine Alfredo have to do Hollywood?
Hollywood. The place where stars are born. That extends well beyond movie stars too. Fettuccine Alfredo was practically cultivated in Hollywood. No, Fettuccine Alfredo isn’t some kitschy name for a pop star. It’s the famous Italian-American dish that even those with the most limited culinary interests are familiar with. It’s that popularity that was bred in Hollywood.
The sauce is named after Alfredo di Lelio, an Italian chef and restaurateur who is credited with its creation.
Story has it that Alfredo developed the dish in 1908. It was originally intended as a special dish to help increase the appetite of his pregnant wife, Ines. Fettucine al triplo burro as it was called consisted of simple ingredients: fettuccine pasta, butter, and Parmesan cheese. Alfredo’s method involved tossing hot pasta with a generous amount of butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, resulting in a rich and creamy sauce.
Alfredo’s Fettuccine Alfredo gained popularity at his restaurant, attracting both local diners and international visitors. However, its fame spread exponentially further when Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, two famous American actors, dined at Alfredo’s restaurant while on their honeymoon in Rome in the 1920s. They were so impressed by the dish that they brought the recipe back to the United States and introduced it to their friends and colleagues in Hollywood. As influential figures in the film industry, their endorsement of the dish helped catapult it to fame and popularize it among a wider audience.
Influential figures are understated descriptions for these two. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were more than America’s first celebrity couple. They were idols. Respectively dubbed the “King of Hollywood” and “America’s Sweetheart”, the couple commanded an international spotlight wherever they went. Their mere appearance in public incited riots on multiple occasions, most notably at an event held inside Madison Square Garden in 1922.
Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were big deals individually and an even bigger deal together. They were Kim & Kanye, Harry & Meghan, Jay-Z & Beyonce, or whatever famous couple comes to mind first, long before their time. I imagine they would break the internet on a consistent basis if they were reincarnated today.
The couple’s exposure and promotion of Fettuccine Alfredo not only popularized the dish among a wider audience, but it contributed to its association with luxury and indulgence, making it a sought-after dish in American cuisine.
Because this dish is literally a Hollywood story, I find it only fitting to test limits of its variations. It’s called culinary arts for a reason. Coconut-Soy Shiitake Mushroom Alfredo is just one interpretation of the famous Fettuccine Alfredo, melding Asian Italian, and American influences into a rather approachable dish.
Coconut-Soy Shiitake Mushroom Alfredo
4
servings5
minutes25
minutes30
minutesThis flavorful take on a famous pasta dish combines the creaminess of coconut milk, the umami taste of soy sauce, and the earthy flavor of shiitake mushrooms
Ingredients
1 pound shiitake mushrooms
1 package (16 ounces) long pasta noodles
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 whole shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Directions
- Cook the long pasta noodles of your choice to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes until they become tender and slightly golden. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set them aside for later.
- To the skillet, add the butter, minced garlic, minced shallot, and grated ginger. Stir and sauté for another minute or two, just until the butter melts and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the flour to the skillet, and whisk to combine with the melted butter. Whisk in the coconut milk, soy sauce, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk in the parmesan cheese and continue cooking until the cheese has thoroughly melted, no more than a few minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sauce, al dente pasta noodles, sautéed shiitake mushrooms, and chopped scallions. Toss to combine.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with additional chopped scallions and parmesan cheese if you desire.