Chiaki Ohara, a chef originally from Tokyo, has reimagined the classic Japanese spaghetti Napolitan in New York City. This dish, a unique fusion of Italian and Japanese cuisine, is characterized by its sweet ketchup base, often complemented by Worcestershire and soy sauce. Ohara emphasizes its nostalgic value from her childhood, insisting that it's made to be enjoyed as a hearty fried noodle dish rather than traditional Italian pasta. Her culinary journey reflects a broader appreciation for yoshoku, comforting Western-influenced dishes popular in Japanese cafes.
The ketchup is what makes it really special to me. If you're afraid of the ketchup, remember that it's used as an ingredient here, not as a condiment.
Spaghetti Napolitan is Japan's interpretation of Italian red-sauce pasta. Slightly sweet and intensely savory, Napolitan is more stained with seasoned ketchup than slopped with it.
In Japanese yoshoku cuisine, if there's ketchup, there's often Worcestershire sauce and probably soy sauce as well.
The key to a great spaghetti Napolitan, a dish that's hard to get right, is to think of it as a yaki (fried) noodle more than an Italian-style pasta.
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