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How to Cook the Classic Filipino-Style Spaghetti – the Star of Pinoy Gatherings
No gathering of Filipinos is ever complete without the timeless, tasty, and traditional Filipino-style spaghetti.
Of course, Pinoy leche flan and lechon are served during special occasions but the Filipino-style spaghetti has reached a sort of a star status.
It is a staple, an indispensable part of the Pinoy dining table during birthdays, weddings, baptisms, festivals, graduations, and yes, even meals right after funerals.
A slurp of the Filipino-style spaghetti easily tells us why it is so well-liked by Pinoys.
It is sweet and juicy, very much pleasing to children and people with sweet tooth.
It can get a bit zesty depending on the way it was cooked, giving it a tang that is loved by many adults.
Unlike the world-famous Italian spaghetti, Filipino-style spaghetti is not sour and has no obvious traces of tomatoes.
Instead, it is sugary in aroma and flavor.
Any true-blooded Pinoy can tell Filipino-style spaghetti from the countless variations of Italian spaghetti.
This is because Filipino-style spaghetti stands out in a crowd for its slices of hotdogs and hams and toppings of rich, creamy, grated cheddar cheese.
Yup folks, this spaghetti has hotdogs and cheddar cheese! No wonder it is so huge among kiddos.
You see, Filipino-style spaghetti is certainly a reworked copy of the Italian spaghetti.
Yet it has been flavored and presented in ways that have made it beyond doubt a genuine Filipino dish.
Below is quick and easy recipe for the classic Filipino-style spaghetti.
Ingredients for Filipino-Style Spaghetti
- bay leaf, one piece
- cooking oil, four tablespoons
- grated cheese, about one-fourth cup
- green bell pepper, sliced, optional
- ground meat, beef and/or pork, about one pound or half a kilogram
- hotdogs, about six pieces, sliced in small round pieces
- large onion, finely chopped
- minced garlic, about three cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
- sugar, one tablespoon or more
- sweet catsup, optional, about three-fourth cup
- sweet ham, optional
- tomato sauce, around one-and-a-half cup
- uncooked spaghetti, about one pound or half a kilogram
- water, about four cups
Tools for Cooking Filipino-Style Spaghetti
- bowl, good enough for holding half a kilogram of spaghetti
- grater for grating cheddar cheese
- medium-sized knife
- pot for cooking spaghetti
- saucepan for cooking spaghetti sauce
- strainer for draining water off spaghetti
Steps for Cooking Filipino-Style Spaghetti
- First, cook spaghetti in salted water according to usual instructions. Set the noodles aside in a serving bowl.
- Second, fry the hotdogs. Slice them in small round pieces. Set aside. You may want to also add in sweet ham. Just fry the ham and cut it into small squares.
- Third, grate the cheddar cheese and set aside.
- Fourth, prepare the spaghetti sauce.
- In a pan set over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in cooking oil.
- Throw in ground meat and cook for a few minutes.
- After a while, put in bay leaf, green bell pepper, and water. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Next, put in tomato sauce. Flavor the mix with salt and pepper as well as sweet catsup according to preferred taste. Simmer everything for another 10 minutes.
- Put the fried hotdogs and let the sauce simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Lastly, add more sugar if desired.
- Now, the sauce is ready. Pour it onto spaghetti noodles.
- Top the dish with grated cheddar cheese.
- Voila! Now your classic Filipino-style spaghetti is ready to be served. Enjoy!
The whole cooking process takes about 40 minutes to an hour. If you have that much time, then you can cook it up without much sweat.
When to Serve Filipino-Style Spaghetti
Really, each day is an occasion to cook Filipino-style spaghetti.
In the Philippines, Filipino-style spaghetti has been a favorite afternoon comfort food, alongside traditional rice noodles like pancit bihon, pancit palabok, and pancit malabon.
Lately, it has also been a favorite part of breakfast. Many Pinoys would like to eat this power-packed morning dish before heading off to work.
Most definitely, Filipino style-spaghetti is great for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and other parties.
Copyright © 2011 Kerlyn Bautista
All Rights Reserved
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