Lutong Bahay: Spicy Tuyo Aglio Olio with Super Tuyo

Lutong Bahay is a short tag on the title which I use to feature home-cooked food, either in our own home or at a friend's house, either my own cooking or not.

I've always loved cooking and eating pasta, but the usual carbonara or spaghetti had already got tiring for my taste buds. And then, I remembered a Pinoy fusion pasta I got to try from Chef Ivory Yat's The Sultry Chef stall in Mezza Norte. So equipped with a jar of Super Tuyo Famous Spicy variant, I thought of giving this dish a dry run in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 pieces of tuyo fillets (shredded)
• 1 head of garic (minced)
• 2 pcs. of tomatoes (de-seeded and diced)
• 1/2 lb. spaghetti pasta
• butter
• olive oil
• chilies or red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese and basil (optional)

Procedure:

1. Cook your pasta according to package and set aside. Don't wash it off on running water, by the way. Just let it sit in the cooking pot until sauce is ready.
2. Heat butter in a pan and sauté the garlic until slightly golden, then add the shredded tuyo fillets and diced tomatoes.
3. Add the chilies or red pepper flakes. I skipped this though, as I'm already using tuyo fillets from Super Tuyo's Famous Spicy variant. Season based on your preference.
4. When the tuyo fillets have already melded in the sauce, turn off the heat and add some olive oil.
5. Put pasta (straight from the cooking pot) to your spicy tuyo sauce and mix well.
6. You can add in some grated Parmesan cheese and some basil leaves. As for me, I prefer to garnish my pasta with more tuyo fillets.

This pasta dish is one of the simplest I've ever had to cook, yet it tastes amazing especially if you're a fan of spicy tuyo. I seriously can't stop eating forkful after forkful, and this in itself is just the plain version. If you have some shrimps, you can also add them into the mix and make a Spicy Tuyo and Shrimp Aglio Olio. Now, that sounds fancy!

Since I've already mentioned Super Tuyo, let me go all out and make a quick review. I was given these 3 jars to sample -- Famous Spicy, Original and Sweet and Spicy. All 3 of these variants have tuyo fillets in garlic and oil. However, I'd say my favorite would be the Sweet and Spicy one as it's perfect with garlic rice or on top of even just plain rice. It gives off a nice blend of sweet, spicy and savory flavors that I truly enjoyed.

My second favorite would be the Famous Spicy. While it lacks the sweetness dimension, it definitely makes up for it with extra spice. I think this is perfect for people who love their tuyo fillets really spicy, or if you'd want to incorporate a spicy tuyo into a dish (This can be good on pizza too!), just like what I did with my Spicy Tuyo Aglio Olio.

As for the Original, it didn't really excite my palate much and I'm not sure either where I can incorporate it. However, if you're a creative home-cook, I'm sure you'll be able to come up with something as my dull mind can only see this eaten with champorado.

For more info on Super Tuyo, visit their Official Website, Facebook Page or Twitter.