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1
Boil the Spaghetti
10 Mins • Boiling
Boiling salted water, 100°C (212°F)
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the salt, then add the spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes less than the packet time — it finishes in the sauce. Before draining, scoop out 250 ml (1 cup) of the starchy pasta water and set it aside; this is what loosens the sauce later. Drain the spaghetti and set it aside, uncovered so it does not steam into a clump.
Never skip saving the pasta water — its starch is what makes the tomato paste cling to the strands instead of sliding off.
Done when: Pasta pliable but still firm in the centre; a cup of cloudy pasta water saved.
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2
Fry the Epis
2 Mins • Frying
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan or pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the epis and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells fragrant and turns a shade darker. Do not let it burn — burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter.
Epis goes in first and alone, so its garlic and herbs bloom in the oil before anything else joins the pan.
Done when: Epis fragrant and golden, oil tinted green-gold.
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3
Add Hot Dogs and Vegetables
5 Mins • Frying
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Add the sliced hot dogs, chopped onion, bell peppers and diced Roma tomatoes to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns soft and translucent and the hot dog rounds pick up a little colour at the edges. The tomatoes will start to break down and release their juice.
Give the hot dogs a minute undisturbed in the pan before stirring — that light browning is where their flavour comes from.
Done when: Onion soft and translucent, peppers just tender, hot dog rounds lightly browned at the edges.
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4
Build the Tomato Sauce
10 Mins • Simmering
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F); hot dogs heated through to 74°C (165°F)
Stir in the tomato paste, the crumbled bouillon cubes, the ground cloves and the whole Scotch bonnet pepper, then pour in 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the reserved pasta water. Stir well so the paste dissolves, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon and the hot dogs are heated all the way through to 74°C (165°F). Taste and add a splash more pasta water if the sauce looks too thick.
The sauce should be thick and clingy, not soupy — it has to coat spaghetti, not pool under it.
Done when: Sauce thick, rust-red and glossy; hot dogs heated through.
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5
Toss the Spaghetti in the Sauce
3 Mins • Tossing
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Tip the drained spaghetti into the pan and toss it through the sauce for about 3 minutes, using tongs, until every strand is coated and stained rust-red. Add pasta water a spoonful at a time if the pan looks dry — the pasta will drink it up and the sauce will turn silky. Fish out the whole Scotch bonnet pepper before serving so nobody bites into it by surprise.
Toss, don't stir with a spoon — tongs lift the strands through the sauce without breaking them.
Done when: Every strand coated, sauce clinging, no dry pale patches.
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6
Rest and Serve Hot
2 Mins • Resting
Serving hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Take the pan off the heat and let the spaghetti rest for 2 minutes so the sauce settles onto the pasta. Serve hot in wide bowls, with a boiled egg and sliced avocado on the side if you like the classic Haitian breakfast, and pikliz for anyone who wants extra heat and crunch.
Serve it straight away — spaghetti left sitting in the pan keeps absorbing sauce and turns soft.
Done when: Steaming hot, sauce settled, strands separate and glossy.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the pan for 2 minutes off the heat, then pile the spaghetti into warm bowls and top with a boiled egg and avocado. The sauce should be rust-red and clinging, not pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
Haiti
2h 10m
Vietnam
France