Last Updated on July 8, 2021

Are you looking for a Asian fusion pasta dish? This Spaghetti with Kimchi Cream Sauce (thin) is one of our old-time favorites and now updated to a vegan-friendly version! It’s super comforting and tastes like something you never tasted before!

Kimchi Cream Sauce

Pre-vegan days, this is one of the dishes that we’d make over and over, at least once a week. Then our lifestyle has changed becoming vegans. It really is the best decision we ever made but for the longest time, we were so depressed about certain dishes we used to make that we could no longer savor. That was until we discovered the existence of cashew cream. lol. Since then, we’ve been able recreate so many creamy dishes we thought we had to give up!

We never forget the joy of discovering the fact that we can enjoy kimchi cream sauce again!

Pasta with kimchi cream sauce is one of the pasta dishes that you may see in Japan. Actually, this is a Korean-Japanese-Italian fusion pasta! It may not be widely popular but certainly appears on some pasta restaurants’ menu over there. It’s super easy to make at home as well. Yes, kimchi is Korean, not Japanese but it has gained enough popularity in Japan so you see it often at grocery stores and in some restaurants

Now, the “authentic” version is made with kimchi (non-vegan kind) and heavy cream. Our version is made with cashew cream and vegan kimchi from Mother-In-Law’s Kimchi. Some people may think “kimchi + cream” is an add combination…we promise, it’s so addicting!

Kimchi Cream Sauce “Thin”

The reason why we named this dish with the word “thin” is because the sauce has a bit thinner consistency than thick creamy sauce that you might imagine. Good news! We also made thicker version which you can find the recipe here.

The consistency of the sauce for many Japanese fusion pasta dishes is rather soupy (thin) than thick. Cream sauce is not an exception, either. So this kimchi cream sauce is purposely made thinner than you may expect!

The Secret Flavor Enhancer

Kimchi has so much flavor that we don’t really need much to mess with the natural flavor of it. But we always like to add a little “ocean flavor” to some Asian dishes like Japanese dish or Korean dish. That’s when dulse comes in handy! We make a lot of dishes with it. Not only the Asian dishes, we made Spaghetti alla Puttanesca with dulse as a substitution of anchovies. It’s a perfect ingredient suitable for vegans to give the background sea flavor.

We should mention that the flavor of dulse is very subtle therefore it may not change the overall flavor profile at the end. If you aren’t fan of dulse, please feel free to skip it.

Toppings

When we make Asian fusion pasta, toppings are a bit different than the usual suspect for the Italian pasta. We use;

• Scallions
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Gochugaru
• Shredded Nori Seaweed (kizaminori)

Out of all the above, we highly recommend using shredded nori seaweed for the topping! We can’t explain any better but the dish tastes complete with the nori. In fact, sheredded nori is a common topping for a lot of Japanese pasta dishes.

To get the best experience with this fantastic pasta dish, try to gather all the above if you can!

Choices of Pasta

We like any long pastas like spaghetti or linguine for Asian fusion pasta dishes. The Japanese people love any forms of noodles that you can slurp! So we recommend using those long pastas over short pastas.

Yes, we slurp spaghetti, too…sometimes…

Feeling Inspired?

Try other Asian pasta dishes!

Spaghetti Napolitan

Spaghetti Aonori Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

Print Recipe

5 from 18 votes

Spaghetti with Kimchi Cream Sauce (Thin)

Are you looking for a Asian fusion pasta dish? This Spaghetti with Kimchi Cream Sauce (thin) is one of our old-time favorites and now updated to a vegan-friendly version! It's super comforting and tastes like something you never tasted before!

*Total Time does not include Inactive Time for soaking cashews.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Inactive Time8 hours hrs

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Entree, Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine: Japanese, Japanese Inspired, Italian Inspired, Korean-Inspired, Vegan

Servings: 2

Author: Plant-Based Matters

Ingredients

Soaking Cashews

• 1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 3/4 cup water

Cashew Cream Sauce

• Soaked cashews see the above
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

The Rest

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp gochugaru
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup kimchi, use scissors to cut into smaller pieces
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tbsp dulse flakes
• 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 8 oz spaghetti

Toppings

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Gochugaru
• Shredded nori seaweed

Instructions

• In a large pot, start boiling water for cooking spaghetti.
• Meanwhile, start preparing cashew cream sauce. In a high-speed blender, combine soaked cashews, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt. Blend for a minute or so until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• Heat up a frying pan at medium high heat. Pour sunflower oil and add garlic. Cook for 1-2 minute until aromatic. Add yellow onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add kimchi and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Nest, add water and deglaze the pan. Add dulse flakes and salt. Bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low to medium low. Continue to simmer.
• Start cooking spaghetti for 9-11 minutes (or follow the instruction on the package.)
• 2-3 minutes before the spaghetti is done, add the cashew cream sauce to the pan. Mix well. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. It should start thinking a little. Adjust the seasoning with more salt if necessary.
• Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain well add to the sauce. Give a quick toss.
• Serve immediately with scallions, toasted sesame seeds, gochugaru, and shredded nori seaweed on top.

Notes

• For kimchi cream sauce, use the “traditional” kind of kimchi that is made with napa cabbage.
• Every jar of kimchi has a different saltiness, spiciness, and sourness depending on the level of fermentation. Adjust the seasonings accordingly that works the best for your own favorite kimchi.
• This is a “thin” sauce version so it should be somewhat creamy but soupy compare to the “thick” version recipe.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plantbased_matters or tag #plantbased_matters!