Filipinos love soups. We enjoy them as it is, or we mix them with our rice to add moist and texture. When I was a kid, I remember eating a bowl of rice overflowing in warm soup of Nilaga or Sinigang – types of pork, beef, or seafood stews. One of my favorite soup dishes is called Misua Bola-bola or Meat ball soup with Misua Noodles, and you can easily prepare this dish at home using today’s recipe.

Misua noodles originated from China which we inherited through its culinary influence in the country.  Unlike rice vermicelli (bihon), which is made from rice, misua is made from wheat flour. These are very thin, white noodles that are very delicate and easily break when raw. You can buy them from your nearest sari-sari store (variety store), public market, or supermarket.

Misua Bola-bola is also known in some parts of the country as Almondigas. Because some recipes of Almondigas use rice vermicelli instead of misua, we will call it Misua Bola-bola to make a distinction. Besides, that how we call it back home in Malabon.

Perfect for rainy days, enjoy a warm bowl of Misua Bola-bola as a main dish, an appetizer, or as an afternoon snack. I still prefer the childish way by mixing it with my rice. It reminds me of the good old days.

I divided the recipe into two parts: the first one is how to prepare the meatballs; the last one is for the soup. Check the recipe below:

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Before we begin cooking, let me tell you briefly what happened last Sunday.

I had the chance to portray one of my dream jobs — to be a cook show host, hah! Well, I didn’t exactly host a show. But I got the chance to prepare a sumptuous meal in front of a live audience during Clara Ole‘s Share Eat! event in celebration of Joy of Eating at the Mercato Centrale in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

I wasn’t alone during my short cooking stint though. Renowned chef and food stylist Chef Eugene Raymundo was there with me who performed cooking demos using Clara Ole products, together with Appetite Magazine‘s Editor-in-Chief Nina Daza-Puyat who introduced Clara Ole to us.

Chef Eugene Raymundo

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This recipe is probably an exemption to the not-so-strict rules of this blog. I once mentioned in my introduction that I won’t be using canned sauces on my recipes. Everything would be traditional as much as possible, which means no shortcuts. But for obvious reasons, I cannot apply that rule here. And besides, it’s my food blog — I can always break the rules. Hah!

Seriously, the reason is Filipino Style Spaghetti is always prepared with canned tomato sauces. If I use fresh tomatoes (which I do sometimes with olive oil –> yum!) alone, it won’t be Filipino style anymore. Tomatoes are not naturally sweet, at least that’s not how we acquired the taste; It may be too sour for our palate. Hence, we add some sugar and banana catsup to balance the sweet, sour, and savory flavor. Why? Because that’s how we like it! It’s like Spaghetti Bolognese, but sweeter.

So my brother cooked Filipino Style Spaghetti yesterday, Sunday. I took some pictures, but it’s pretty much my own recipe inspired by my Tita‘s. My Lola was not a huge fan of spaghetti. She would rather eat Chinese noodles. Some credits also go to Joe, a college friend, who told me to add milk to the sauce to make it creamier. And, yes, it’s just so much better! If you have kids, I’m sure they will love this one.

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I have a tooth ache since last night. It’s nice to know that we have chicken sopas (soup) for dinner. I know, I know, this is best served during the rainy or chilly seasons, but who cares? I want to enjoy a warm bowl (or two) of sopas despite the blistering weather lately. Besides, I can only chew on one side of my mouth, so this is the best option, or I starve to death.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. In my case, I’m waiting for my tooth fairy.

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