Spaghetti pasta is probably the most popular type of pasta in the the Philippines. Filipino-style spaghetti, that’s how we call it. This version spaghetti sauce – sweet and spicy (from the black pepper) caters to the Filipino palate.
A warning though, because our spaghetti tastes sweet! Rather I would call it sweet-spice taste using tomato sauce and catsup as the sauce. In the grocery stores, you can find tomato sauce labeled with “Filipino style”.
While I prefer the Italian style of cooking pasta, I still crave for Filipino spaghetti now and then. For that, I turn to my Dad to cook the spaghetti for us. My Dad cooks really great Tagalog dishes and I’ve learned a lot from him. For the spaghetti, I usually prepare all the ingredients before I let him in the kitchen. Two cooks in the kitchen don’t mix well! But then, once he is ready to cook, I usually assist him and wash after him. Otherwise, the kitchen would really be a mess!
The recipe calls for half a kilo of spaghetti, banana catsup, a pouch of tomato sauce and uses corned beef hash instead of fresh ground beef. Freshly crushed black pepper adds to spiciness of the dish for sweet-spicy spaghetti only in the Philippines. Note also the absence of herbs. And since it’s sauted Pinoy-style, soy sauce is added to mixture.
Here’s how he does it:
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Place contents of a can of corned beef has in a bowl and mix with 2 tsp black bepper. Saute chopped garlic (4 cloves) and onions (1 large onion, minced) in vegetable oil. Add the corned beef hash and 2 tbsp soy sauce. Mix well then add the sauces (1 cup banana catsup and 2 pouch of regular tomato sauce – banana catsup is already sweet so no need to use Filipino-style spaghetti sauce). Simmer for a few minutes then add the cooked spaghetti. Make sure that pasta is well-coated with sauce. Serve topped with cheese.
Hope you enjoyed my contribution to this week’s Presto Pasta Nights. You may also be interested to participate in “To market, to market…“
Sawadee kha! My name is Gay a.k.a. A Scientist in the Kitchen. Science and cooking are two of my passions. I'm a corn breeder who also loves to eat and cook. My kitchen is in Phitsanulok, Thailand where I am based together with Pasta (yes, I love Italian food!) my black labrador retriever. 
It looks wonderful. I wonder if I can find banana ketchup here in Halifax. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
Maybe an Asian store will have banana ketchup.
For some reason, I’m not really fond with filipino style spaghetti. It’s just to sweet for my taste.
Well, me too. Not too fond of sweet-style spag. Unless it’s my dad who cooks
I noticed this superb recipe a few days ago, subsequently went out yesterday morning get hold of the ingredients and then prepared it for the evening meal, positively delicious.
This looks great! I haven’t tried to make this recipe yet, but I will be in the near future. My husband loves trying new recipes, especially if they are international.. Have to try this one for sure, the sweetness is taunting me!
-Sylvia