I asked A what he wanted for lunch and he requested something simple like fried pork (yeah here comes the carnivore again) served alongside a vegetable soup. He bought a 2L bottle of Sprite and suggested I cook the pork with it. Hmmm sounds really great and easy. Makes sense as Sprite has a taste similar to that of 7-Up. I am so sure one has heard of 7-Up pork chops or halabos na hipon cooked with this popular lemon-lime flavored carbonated soda. I served it with a simple petchay (a type of Chinese cabbage) soup – basically clear onion soup lightly seasoned with salt and pepper; sprinkled with chopped spring onion.
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.
My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.
Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.
Ham with Coca Cola has been around for a while now, so I guess Spritey Pork is along the same kind of lines.
I’m imagining it as being a little too sweet though – is it?
Hi Scott! Yup, it is sweet… similar to most Southeast Asian dishes.