Menudo (Filipino)

Posted byNoriePosted inPork, RecipeTags:

As you see, Filipino menudo is not the same or even close to Mexican menudo.  It is more of a gravy than a soup.  And again, this is my own concoction and you can also try your own. 

Different ethnic groups have different ways of cooking menudo in the Philippines.  Some recipes have hotdog or Vienna Sausage pieces and most have liver.  As a matter of fact some call this menudo but some may call it Sarciado, Afritada, Mechado, or something else.  This is also similar to Mexican Carne guisada if you add cumin in it and make it a little thinner with more liquid.  At any rate, this is very good no matter what it is called.  I love it.

Menudo’s difference from the other dishes mentioned above is that the meat of menudo is cut or diced in small pieces whereas the others are cubed larger.

Ingredients:

  • 2 to 2.5 lbs. pork, cubed smaller than 1 inch. Pork trimmings with fat are good for this, sold in packages labeled “Pork for carnitas”.
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon or juice of 2 large calamansi
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes OR 3 large Roma fresh tomatoes, chopped

  • 2 tsp. Sweet Rice Wine or Aji Mirin or 1 tsp. sugar if no Aji Mirin
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 med. size potatoes, cubed or diced
  • 1 large carrot cubed or diced
  • 1 cup canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced or diced or one jar pimiento
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced or diced
  • 1 TBS Paprika
  • 12 green olives (optional)
  • cooking oil

Dice the pork into small pieces, about ½” cube.  Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper on the pork pieces.  Add the soy sauce and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly then let the meat marinate for about 1 hour in the fridge. 

Add about 2 TBS oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until brown on all sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Brown the pork in the same skillet reserving the marinade. To do this, drain the pork with a slotted spoon as you let the marinade drip back in the bowl.

Liquid from the meat will exude in the pan when heated through. Spoon this liquid back into the marinade bowl and set it aside. Continue frying the pork until browned on all sides or no longer pink. Transfer the browned pork back in the marinade bowl and set aside.

Add a little oil in the same skillet if necessary, heat, and then sauté the garlic until golden then add the onions.  Stir until onions are soft and shiny then add the tomatoes and green bell peppers. Heat until boiling.  Add the pork and the reserved marinade, bay leaves, the cubed carrots and the Aji Mirin or sugar or sweet wine. Add the paprika if using.

You may want to transfer the dish in a saucepot with cover at this point. Stir, simmer covered on low for 20 minutes and stir occasionally. Check the water or juice occasionally to make sure it is not getting dried and burned. Add about ½ cup of water if it is getting dry. Add the red peppers or pimientos, chickpeas and potatoes and green olives.

Continue to simmer stirring occasionally until the pork is tender.

Make sure it doesn’t dry up and scorch on the bottom.  Season it with salt and pepper according to your taste.

This dish is actually on the dry, thick side, not with runny gravy.

It is eaten with rice or mixed with rice as you can see the richness of this dish.  Patis with crushed fresh hot pepper would be a good seasoning at the table.