Filipino spaghetti

Vanjo Merano’s selected Filipino spaghetti combines ground pork, sliced hot dogs and potted meat in a sweet sauce made with tomato sauce and banana ketchup. Shredded cheddar finishes the sauce-topped pasta.

The spaghetti cooks according to its package instructions. Merano’s accompanying explanation describes boiling it in salted water and draining it before the sauce is added.

Onion and garlic soften in heated cooking oil. Ground pork cooks until light brown, followed by the sliced hot dogs and potted meat. Tomato sauce and water are added and brought to a boil.

A beef cube enters the sauce, which cooks covered over low to medium heat. Banana ketchup and white sugar are stirred in for a further cooking stage, then salt and ground black pepper adjust the seasoning.

The finished sauce goes over the cooked spaghetti and shredded cheddar is sprinkled on top. Merano identifies this as a sweet Pinoy-style pasta, with the banana ketchup working alongside the tomato base in this particular version.