Make Your Pasta Salad The Filipino Way For A Perfect Balance Of Sweet And Savory

An all-American macaroni salad will contain ingredients such as celery, carrots, onion and bell pepper. The added ingredients (as in, besides the macaroni) are customizable, but it almost always comes together with a mayo-based dressing. All in all, the dish is quite savory — but have you ever wished that it was, maybe, a bit sweeter?

If you have, then you need to know about the Filipino-style macaroni salad, which is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The sweetness comes in a few different forms with this style of macaroni salad. For one, it contains two key sweet ingredients: pineapple and raisins. Additionally, the dressing is still made with mayo, just like we're used to — but the mayo is combined with sweetened condensed milk, bringing in a bit more sweetness. And the Filipino macaroni salad isn't the only salad that uses this ingredient for sweetness — condensed milk is also the ingredient that makes a South African potato salad unique (and sweet).

But, despite these sweet ingredients in a Filipino macaroni salad, there are still plenty of savory aspects to balance out the sweet. It also typically contains both chicken and ham, as well as cheese and sometimes chopped up hard-boiled eggs.

Even if you like the idea of adding sweetness to a macaroni salad, you may be worried about making it too sweet. In this case, you can use a bit less sweetened condensed milk and a bit of extra mayo, which will make the sweetness a bit more subtle. You can also decrease the amount of pineapple pieces and raisins — or choose one or the other (which may work out in your favor if, say, you're not a fan of raisins).

On the other hand, you can add extra of the savory items to make the savory element a little bit more prominent than the sweet aspect. Add extra meat or add in more savory ingredients that the recipe doesn't call for, such as carrots, celery, or other veggies that you would find in an American macaroni salad.

Meanwhile, these tips also work if you want the opposite effect: a macaroni salad that is a little extra sweet. Add a bit of extra sweetened condensed milk or add extra pineapples and raisins. Some macaroni salad recipes even add white sugar directly into the salad, which is certainly an option here too if you're looking to up the sweetness level.