Sometimes, in the middle of dipping freshly baked pandesal into your cup of hot coffee, you wonder: “Was bread even meant to be dipped into coffee?!”
Filipinos have developed funny (and often unexplainable) habits in both cooking and consuming food, but let’s face it—these habits make food even more enjoyable! Bring out that sweet spaghetti and celebrate our unique Pinoy kitchen habits with us.
1 Sweet-style spaghetti.
Since we already mentioned it—sweet spaghetti is, undoubtedly, something only Filipinos would make. It has many of the components of a regular tomato pasta sauce, except with an absurd amount of sugar and a hefty serving of rich, quick-melting cheese that both make sweetness the primary taste of the sauce. A kid’s birthday party is never complete without it!
2 Dipping pandesal into coffee.
Why would you want crusty-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside pandesal to turn into a soggy mess? Because it spells comfort like nothing else! The fresher the pandesal and the hotter the coffee, the better.
3 Reusing old ice cream containers to store leftovers.
On hot summer days, you will often take a peek into your freezer in search for an icy, frozen treat—leftover vanilla ice cream from last week, perhaps? Think again. Old ice cream tubs will often hold frozen dinners like extra pasta sauce, chicken stew, or meat.
4 Using a spoon to help tenderize meat.
Some Filipino home cooks like to place a whole spoon into a simmering pot of soup or stew to tenderize meat or help it cook faster. It is believed that the extra heat conducted by the spoon makes meat cook faster. As for a spoon’s meat tenderizing abilities, we are still scratching our heads and looking for a scientific explanation. Answers are very welcome in the comments.
5 Using rice wash to make soup.
Filipinos eat rice-heavy meals every day. Rice is often rinsed before cooking to get rid of extra starch and to clean it. To save water, some Filipinos save the rice wash and use them as a base for soups. The starch can help thicken the soup, and nutrients washed away from the rice are not wasted.
6 Funny food pairings.
Sweet champorado and salty tuyo, or fluffy puto and thick pork blood stew, anyone? Filipino food is a wonderful thing to celebrate, and these food pairings are both delicious and exciting!
