What is Ankake Spa?
Ankake spa or spaghetti is a spin on the wafu pasta dish that originated in Nagoya in the early 1960s. It’s made with thick spaghetti (usually 2.2mm) and a rich, spicy sauce. Hiroshi Yokoi, a chef at the Western-style food department of the Maruei Hotel, came up with this dish.
Yokoi was driven by a passion for making spaghetti more popular among Japanese diners, who were not familiar with spaghetti at all. His roots in Nagoya and penchant for rich flavors really came through in the sauce’s distinctive taste.
When it first came out, people were unsure about ankake spaghetti, but it’s now a firm favorite in the Nagoya area.
How I Developed This Recipe
You know what’s funny? Even in Japan, not many people know about ankake spaghetti unless they’re from Aichi Prefecture. It’s like our little secret! If I mentioned it to my Tokyo friends, they’d probably be like, “Huh? What’s that?”
But for me, this spaghetti is comfort food at its best. I grew up eating it, and I was determined to make the perfect recipe at home. I had one goal: to match the flavor of this awesome restaurant I’ve been going to since I was a teen.
I have to tell you—it wasn’t easy! But I kept going because I wanted to share the real deal with you all. After multiple tries, I finally got it. I can’t wait for you to try this unique spaghetti that’s been such a big part of my life. Ready to taste a little-known Japanese specialty?
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Thick spaghetti (2.2mm): For the most authentic result, go with 2.2mm thickness. If you can’t find it, then you can just go with a similar size. The hearty noodles are essential to the satisfying texture of this dish.
- Vegetables: We’ve got a trio of yellow (or white) onions, green bell peppers, and brown button mushrooms.
- Sausages: While Nagoya restaurants often use “red sausage,” I suggest smoked pork sausage. As long as you don’t use strongly flavored or raw sausages, you can use any hot dog type of sausage from your local supermarket.
- Beef bouillon cube: I used half a Knorr beef bouillon cube (about one cube per one liter), but you can just use whatever is available in your area. All you need to know is to use enough bouillon (cube or powder) to make about 500ml (or 2 cups) of soup stock.
- Other sauce ingredients: Mix together white wine, garlic powder, Tabasco (or any similar chili sauce), ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and a mix of black and white pepper to create a flavorful sauce. These ingredients combine to give the dish its signature peppery bold taste.
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Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Ankake Spaghetti at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you’re waiting, slice the sausage and chop the bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. It’s a good idea to prepare the ingredients before you start cooking.
Once the water is boiling, add about a teaspoon of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add a little oil and stir-fry the sausage, bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms until the onion is translucent and the sausage is nicely browned.
Once everything’s cooked, just transfer the ingredients to a plate and set them aside.
In a separate saucepan, mix together 300ml of the pasta water with all the sauce ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and let it simmer for about five minutes to let all the flavors blend together.
Once everything’s simmering away nicely, you can start to add the potato starch slurry to thicken the sauce.
For best results, add the slurry in three or four separate batches, stirring well after each addition. This method helps keep lumps from forming.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, just drain it through a colander. Next, heat a little lard in the same wok you used earlier. Once it’s warm, add the drained spaghetti and toss to coat.
Place the lard-coated spaghetti on a plate. Top with the sautéed sausage and vegetables, then pour the thickened sauce over everything. Serve right away while it’s still hot.
True to Nagoya’s style, it’s not uncommon to add naughty toppings to Ankake Spaghetti. I usually go for a classic tonkatsu (pork cutlet), but here are a few other topping ideas taken from my favorite restaurant’s menu:
Topping ideas (optional)
Just to note that these are totally optional. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this Ankake Spaghetti recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Wafu Spaghetti Recipes
Ankake Spaghetti (Nagoya Style Pasta in Thick Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 ptns dry spaghetti 2.2mm thickness or similar
- 1 tsp salt
- 150 g Hot dog sausages diagonally sliced
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 1 bell pepper sliced
- 5 brown button mushrooms thinly sliced
- ½ tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp lard
Sauce
- 300 ml pasta water
- ½ cube beef bouillon powder or enough to flavor 500ml water
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 5 drops chili sauce of your choice I used Tabasco
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp water for slurry
- 1 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch – for slurry
Instructions
- Start boiling a pot of water. While you wait, prepare all of your ingredients according to the notes on the ingredients list. Once the water is boiling, add 1 tsp salt and 2 ptns dry spaghetti. Boil unil al dente.
- Heat a wok or skillet over a high heat and add ½ tbsp cooking oil. Add 150 g Hot dog sausages, ½ yellow onion, 1 bell pepper, and 5 brown button mushrooms. Fry until the onion is softened and the sausages are browned.
- At the same time, make the sauce in a separate saucepan. Add 300 ml pasta water and ½ cube beef bouillon powder. Mix until dissolved, then add 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp white wine, 5 drops chili sauce of your choice, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp ground black pepper, ¼ tsp ground white pepper. Simmer over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Once the sausages and vegetables are cooked, transfer them to a plate and set the wok aside for later.
- Mix 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp potato starch in a small bowl. After 5 minutes of simmering, remove the bayleaf from the sauce, then add the slurry a little at a time while whisking. Once glossy and slightly thickened, remove the pan from the heat.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and shake to remove any excess water. Reheat the wok on medium and add 1 tbsp lard. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss until evenly coated with the lard.
- Divide the spaghetti between serving plates and arrange the sautéed vegetables and sausages over the top. Pour the sauce around the spaghetti and serve.
- Mix well before eating and enjoy!
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