Jolibee Restaurant is a popular burger and fried chicken joint in the Philippines. One of their best selling menu items is their Filipino Style Spaghetti with Hotdog. This Jolibee Copycat version, is sweeter than its Italian counterpart and won’t probably be recognised by any self respecting Italian. However, the Filipinos with our sweet tooth absolutely love it! My children, must have inherited my sweet tooth gene, because they also love this sweet spaghetti . In fact, when we go back to Manila, they insist in having the spaghetti at Jolibee. The hubby however, who is originally from Iran, is not a big fan.
Just like the noodles “pancit”, the spaghetti makes an appearance at almost every Filipino gathering. The long noodles symbolises long life and must be consumed on birthdays. It is safe to say, that a gathering would not be complete without some form of noodles. I have retained this tradition myself. Even my children with their own families now also serve noodles on birthdays.
As mentioned before, the Filipino style spaghetti is sweet. Some recipes even add condensed milk to the sauce. I don’t add condensed milk, I do however add tomato ketchup to add a hint of sweetness. I think my palate has evolved over the years from living abroad, but when I’m feeling nostalgic this is the style of spaghetti sauce I cook . Unfortunately there are no Jolibees here in Sydney, so if I’m craving the Pinoy taste, I have to make the Jolibee copycat myself.
What you need to make Filipino Style Spaghetti..
- Ground Pork – Pork is traditionally preferred over beef, but beef can also be used or a combination.
- Hot Dogs – Filipino Style Spaghetti Sauce is not complete without this mystery meat. Maybe substituted with cabanossi
- Canned chopped or crushed tomato and tomato passata
- Pantry Staples- Garlic, Onion, Salt and Pepper , Tomato Paste
- Spaghetti – Cooked according to the packet directions
- Grated Cheese – For a truly authentic Pinoy style , use Cheddar. In the Philippines there’s a brand called “EDEN”. In Australia, the closest in taste is DairyLea brand.