Sometimes, when I get bored with rice and noodles when eating Chinese food, it’s always nice to change things up and go for something different.
When this happens, I often opt for Western cuisine or Italian food to satisfy my appetite. Western food is one of my favourite food among so many cuisines available in Malaysia. But out of them all, spaghetti will always be my go-to home cook food because it’s so effortless and easy to make!
However, it’s still nice to have a dash of Asian taste in my Western food, which is why Neapolitan Spaghetti will always be the perfect choice of spaghetti for me!
What is Neapolitan Spaghetti?
Neapolitan Spaghetti is a type of Japanese pasta made with tomato sauce. This pasta dish typically uses spaghetti as its choice of pasta. This is because it gives out a smoother texture than other alternatives.
Made from either a tomato or tomato-based sauce, with a mixture of ingredients such as onions, mushrooms, parsley, bell peppers, bacon and Tabasco sauce, Neapolitan Spaghetti is rich in flavour.
The Neapolitan Sauce
Napolitan sauce, also referred to as Napoli or Napoletana sauce, is a type of sauce made from tomatoes. The sauce is usually paired together with pasta or spaghetti.
This red and sour sauce first originated from Naples, Italy, where they call it: la salsa. Usually, people add peppercorns, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, garlic cloves, onions and mushrooms in to make the sauce extra fragrant.
The difference between Neapolitan sauce and Bolognese sauce is that the former consists of vegetarian ingredients, while people usually add minced beef or minced pork into the latter. But even so, you can add more meaty ingredients into Napolitan sauce as well. Doing this depends solely on personal preference, so the sauce is generally very versatile and thus, loved by many.
The History Of Neapolitan Spaghetti
Although unverified, most people believe that Napolitan Spaghetti originated from Yokohama, Japan, when Shigetada Irie, a Japanese chef from New Grand Hotel, invented this type of fusion pasta.
Named after Naples, Italy, the Neapolitan sauce was inspired by the Italian version of Spaghetti Bolognese, Italian pasta made from the tomato sauce.
The Relationship Between Neapolitan Spaghetti And Omurice
In Japan, people often link Napolitan Spaghetti to Omurice. Omurice is a type of Japanese rice dish wrapped in a soft omelette with black pepper sauce drizzled on top. It is incredibly well-known in Japan and is one of the most cooked meals in the country.
Both Neapolitan Spaghetti and Omurice incorporate some form of carbohydrate in their dish, and both use a tomato-based sauce when cooking. Besides, people often serve Napolitan Spaghetti with a fried egg on top, which has a similar concept to Omurice.
Where Can You Find It?
Napolitan Spaghetti is the type of pasta dish that you can easily make at home. The ingredients of Napolitan Spaghetti are similar to the Italian Spaghetti Bolognese and are easy to find; you just have to top it off with a fried egg.
The most crucial ingredient in Napolitan Spaghetti is the ketchup or tomato puree. Besides that, you can add whatever ingredients of your liking.
But, if you are just not into cooking, you can always opt to get this dish from your local Japanese restaurants instead. Here are some recommendations:
And, if you’re too lazy to head out food hunting, you can always use foodpanda! Foodpanda offers a wide variety of cuisines, and it delivers right in front of your doorstep. So, what are you waiting for? Dine with foodpanda today!