Himalayan Truffle Pasta

The truffle, a highly prized subterranean fungi, may be the last thing on people's minds in these troubled economic times. With a one ounce truffle costing up to $165, you can imagine my shock to see a basket of fresh black truffles at South China Seas Trading Company selling for $10 each. This must be some kind of mistake!

I tenderly picked a truffle up and sniffed it. While the tuber did have the smell of damp earth, that distinctly pungent truffle musk was missing. It turned out that the truffles were of the Chinese variety, grown in foothills of the Himalayas.

Himalayan Truffles look like your average truffle on the outside. They are knotty and knobbly, a dirty black-brown color, a little smaller than European truffles -- about the size of a walnut. On the inside, they are jet black, with cream-coloured, marbling.

French and Italian truffles grow symbiotically with trees such as the oak, beech, hazel or chestnut while Himalayan truffles predominantly grow near pine trees or other conifers.

It is said that unscrupulous restaurants sometimes pass of Himalayan truffles by enhancing them with  truffle oil or butter. Don Dickson, owner of South China Seas Trading Co, opined that this masquerading has "resulted in Himalayan truffles being negatively regarded as fakes rather than just being appreciated for what they are".

I tasted a sliver of the truffle and decided that it wouldn't hurt to saute them. If anything, it heightened their delicate flavour.

First, I sauteed some onions in olive oil and butter, I added finely chopped garlic, followed by slivers of truffle which I seasoned with flor de sal and then sauteed them for several minutes. I added a handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley and gave the pan several flips. Finally, I threw in the cooked fettucine and tossed it around to coat it. Simple and delicious.

Himalayan Truffle Pasta

Pasta Dough*

100 grams of all-purpose flour
1 egg
*Alternatively just buy fresh fettuccine or linguine or packet pasta (De Cecco brand)

1 truffle, shaved into thin slivers
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of butter
Sea salt for seasoning
1/4 cup of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

1. If you're making your own fresh pasta then follow these steps up until step 8. To make linguine you will have to run the pasta sheet through on the pasta machine's noodle setting. Otherwise, just buy fresh pasta at your local Italian deli or buy dry pasta like De Cecco.
2. Bring salted water to the boil. The water should be as salty as the sea. Cook the pasta, about 3  minutes for fresh pasta or if you're using packet pasta, cook it according to the instructions. Reserve 3 tablespoons of pasta water and set aside.
3. Drain pasta.
4. Heat the oil and butter in a fry-pan over a medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent - about 3-4 minutes.
5. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic. Saute garlic for about 1 minute.
6. Add the sliced truffles and saute for 2 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Next, add the finely chopped parsley and stir with a wooden spoon.
7. Add the pasta to the fry-pan and toss to coat. Add a little pasta water to moisten the noodles. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary, then serve.

Comments

[VeggieGirl]

Gorgeous!!

[Manggy]

Ever since I saw the close up of the marbling on Gordon Ramsay's 3 star chef I've been mesmerized by them-- but still haven't tasted. I totally agree that you have to appreciate them for what they are-- do you think the experience comes fairly close? The pasta does look divine!

[Chuck]

A very informative post. I have never cooked with a real truffle because of the price. To expensive for me. I would love to give the Himalayan one a try.

[helen]

It's worth it even for the presentation alone. Great find!

[MyLastBite]

Thanks for this post. I've never seen Himalayan Truffles before.

[pigpigscorner]

What a great way to enjoy truffles!! Lovely pictures!

[sauced]

Very cool and lovely photos. Do you regularly make your own pasta? I'm going to give it a whirl today, but I'm not sure how it will turn out!

[Dee]

I've never seen or heard of Himalayan truffles, but I have a jar of black truffles in some kind of liquid (oil?). It was a gift from a friend and I've been too terrified to even open it. I've been meaning to attempt something simple and subtle. This is perfect. Thank you!

[Scott at Realepicurean]

Delicious looking truffles and pasta. A great idea I'll be sure to try!

[ovenhaven]

I love how you always seem to be making your own pasta! I should definitely give it a try :)

[Cynthia]

One day I am going to taste this much-talked about truffle and I hope it lives up to all the hype :)

Beautiful pics of the shavings.

[Hillary]

You're so lucky to have access to full truffles. I still haven't tried them, I have only tried a touch of truffle oil or salt.

[Syrie]

Thanks VeggieGirl!

Hey Mark, the flavour and aroma is actually quite different. You will know when it's a real truffle as their scent permeates everything. The Himalayan truffles were great in their own way though.

Hi Chuck, No I don't think I will ever cook with a real truffle but I've certainly tried a few dishes with them at restuarants in Italy. It's something you must do at least once!

Thanks so much Helen! South China Seas also has them frozen.

Thanks for visiting my last bite!

Thank you pigs corner!

Hey Sauced, This is my first time making normal pasta. I've tried gnocchi several times before. It's hard to go back to packet stuff after having homemade noodles! Good luck!

Good luck Dee, I hope it goes well. What a lovely friend!

Cheers Scott!

Thanks Ovenhaven. I wish I could do it more often!

Thanks Cynthia. I hope you enjoy it when you do. My first time was in Florence and they were white truffles shaved over a very simple risotto. Delicious.

Hi Hillary, you can order them online - the French ones and the cheaper Himalayan variety. Cheers.

[Tim]

Nice find! It's not surprising that cooking them brought out their flavour, black French truffles are the same. Would you describe the taste of these like French truffles with less intensity, or do they have different flavours altogether?

[Eat Smart Age Smart]

Pasta is one of my favorite dishes for breakfast. I have tried various types of pasta but I never heard of Himalayan Truffle Pasta. I would love to give the Himalayan one a try tomorrow.

[cheap fioricet]

Looks good.. Nice recipe.. Thanks..