As a kid, I thought there was only one kind of spaghetti. The kind all kids have during their birthday. The kind that was perfected by Jollibee. It was red. It had cheese. It had ground beef and slices of hotdogs.

Growing up, I was horrified and then fascinated by the different kinds of pasta sauces that were available. There was this tasteless white sauce with green peas and half-cooked pig fat. Then, there was this oily paste made up of chopped up leaves. Of course, now I have learned to appreciate carbonara and the different kinds of pesto. But, no other kind of spaghetti can comfort me as much as what my sisters fondly call Filipino Spaghetti. Here are 8 no-longer-secret ingredients that I use to spice up my favorite birthday dish of all time.

Fresh tomatoes

Yes, everyone uses tomato sauce. I know very few people who are patient enough to prepare their spaghetti with honest to goodness fresh and ripe tomatoes. It won’t take 2 hours. And, it will give your sauce a buoyant texture that you cannot get from processed tomato sauces or pastes.

Non-dairy creamer

This is my usual answer when people ask me what my secret ingredient is. It will give your sauce a different level of creaminess. This is a good substitute for the lactose intolerant who react violently to cheese.

Carrots

Yes, everyone uses tomato sauce. I know very few people who are patient enough to prepare their spaghetti with honest to goodness fresh and ripe tomatoes. It won’t take 2 hours. And, it will give your sauce a buoyant texture that you cannot get from processed tomato sauces or pastes.

Bell peppers

Cook bell pepper with your garlic and onions. Different kinds of bell pepper—red, orange, yellow, green—will give you different facets of that sweet-piquant flavor in your sauce.

Tarragon

There’s a certain flavor in some European sausages that are used for pizza toppings that I really, really like. I found out that it was Tarragon. Sprinkle in a few leaves for that special accent reminiscent of anise and licorice,

Balayan (anchovy sauce)

Now this secret is something I initially didn’t want to share. But, here it is. The fishy taste that turns a lot of people off will be forgotten when blended in the mix of meat-focused flavors. I have continuously experimented with this distinctly regional condiment. And, the results are consistently amazing. People who try my spaghetti without it think that it’s generally really good. But, those who try the sauce with it think it’s awesome. They are the ones who ask what the secret ingredient is. And, here is the answer.

Liver Spread

Yeah, yeah. This is not really a secret. A lot of the good cooks I know have to have this ingredient on their essentials list. But, I just thought you should know. This is especially good if you use bay leaves.

Thyme

This is a recent addition that I never would have thought of if Chef Rhon Aguilar didn’t cook it in my kitchen. The flavor enhances the sourness of the sauce, so use this herb with a grain of salt—or grains, because I mean that literally. And maybe a dash of sugar.

These ingredients are not meant to be included in your sauce all at once. Try one or two at a time to see which combination works for you. In any case, enjoy!