Igado or Dinaldalem

Posted byNoriePosted inPork, RecipeTags:
(Adobo Variation with Liver)

This dish from Ilocos, north of Manila is similar to adobo except it has liver in it, thus called “Dinaldalem”, Dalem means liver in Ilocano.  I don’t know where “Igado” name came from or what it means.  For practical purposes, I call it “adobo with liver”.

I had this dish years ago cooked by a friend from Pampanga.  She cooked it often for her husband who is from Ilocos and she told me how to cook it.  The last time I had this dish was when I was invited to join them for dinner many years ago. I haven’t had this dish since then because my husband does not eat liver and I am not fond of it either so I never bought liver. But when I went shopping one day I saw liver on the shelf and I suddenly thought of this dish and I could almost taste it.  I could see my friend and her husband savoring it, while eating it together with rice with their hands as how most Filipinos eat in the countryside. My taste buds were tickled and I was almost salivating as I tried to remember how to cook it.

I bought the liver and some pork, went home and started the preparations.  I was hoping that it would be as I expected because by now I am a more experienced cook that I can whip up many kinds of dishes by just remembering how they taste. It turned out very good that I have to write down the recipe before I forget what I did.

I wish my husband would even try a little bit of it but I could not hide the liver from him. He can taste it. Well, the more for me then.

  • ½ to 1 lb. lean pork cut in cubes or diced
  • 2 slices liver cut in cubes or diced
  • 2 to 3 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 TBS light soy sauce
  • 1/4 c white distilled vinegar
  • 1/2 c water
  • 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. Aji Mirin or 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 cup canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), drained
  • ½ red or green bell pepper julienned
  • Cooking oil
  • Dash of Msg (optional)
  1. Heat a couple of tablespoons oil in a skillet
  2. Drop in the diced liver and cook while occasionally stirring until the liquid has dried completely.
  3. Remove the liver from the skillet and set aside.
  4. Add a little more oil in the skillet (about 1 tablespoon), heat the oil and sauté the garlic, followed by the onions in med. heat.  Stir until the onions are soft and transparent.
  5. Drop in the diced pork and cook until no more trace of pink. 
  6. Mix together the vinegar, water, soy sauce and salt in a cup or bowl.  Stir until salt is dissolved.  Pour in to the pork. Add the bay leaves and cracked black pepper.
  7. Simmer covered for about 30 minutes or until the pork is almost tender.  Add the liver, cover and simmer for about 15 more minutes. 
  8. Add the Aji Mirin or the sugar, the chickpeas and the red bell pepper.  Simmer for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

The dish is supposed to be dry but you may add a little water if it gets too dry.  The liver is what makes it thick. Make sure to remove the bay leaves before serving. This is very good eaten with white rice because it is a rich dish.

NOTE:

I use light soy sauce in all my recipes.  Use less salt or reduce the amount of soy sauce if you use regular soy sauce.

Still cooking

This is how it looked just before it was done. The bell peppers, red or green or both are important ingredients in this dish. You can add hot chilies to it if you like it spicy. I think that would be good.