Creamy, Spicy Crispy-Chilli Linguine

Totally improvised the other day. Has a lovely creamy but spicy taste. The Sichuan pepper in Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli goes surprisingly well with cheese!

I used about 250g finely grated cheeses (Gouda, Gruyère, Parmesan, a little cheddar). You can use basically any cheese and vary the amount to taste — I liked it really cheesy, but the sauce very slightly split as it cooled because it’s quite a lot.

Ingredients

100g linguine

480ml pasta water reserved (2 cups), reduced later

1 heaped tbsp Lao Gan Ma Crispy Chilli Oil

150ml~ milk

250g~ finely grated cheese

Extra cheese for serving, if desired

To cook

1. Cook the pasta

Boil the linguine until al dente.

Reserve about 480ml, roughly 2 cups, of the pasta water — the starchier, the better.

1. Reduce the pasta water

Add the pasta water to a pan and reduce it to roughly a quarter of its volume.

Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t catch as it thickens.

1. Chilli oil time

Stir in the heaped tablespoon (20–25g) of Crispy Chilli Oil.

Cook for a couple of minutes to bloom the flavour.

1. Add the milk

Pour in 180ml milk.

Gently simmer for a few minutes, reducing again until slightly thickened.

1. Melt in the cheeses

Gradually add the 250g finely grated cheese, stirring so it melts smoothly into the sauce.

If it thickens too much, add a splash more milk or pasta water.

Season to taste

1. Coat the pasta

Add the cooked linguine to the pan and toss well so it’s fully coated.

1. Serve

Finish with extra grated cheese, and a crush of black pepper if desired, and enjoy!