Cook Authentic Menudo
Edited by mahalia jovita b. bugasto, Christine Cruz, Eng, Maria Quinney
Planning for a dinner date with someone special and would like to impress him or her? Then one suggestion I can provide as a dish for you to prepare and cook is Menudo. This is yet another Filipino ingenious dish that has been passed down from generations to generations. It has evolved from decades upon decades of passing down the recipe that its flavor and ingredients have been tapered to what is abundant in the area and the taste requirement of the Filipinos. Essentially Menudo is a combination of pork loin, pork liver and veggies that have a thick red stew. It is not a regular dish that is served for lunch or dinner. They reserve this recipe for special occasions that can be birthdays, christenings and fiestas (but not limited to those). This recipe is somewhat tiresome to cook and prepare but as soon as it comes out of the pot and is served, when you taste it you'll definitely realize that it is all worth it. The preparation and cooking time for this very special dish will be about 60 to 90 minutes and will require you to marinade the pork for a certain period of time. But not to worry because once you have cooked this exquisite meal your taste buds will explode with its unique flavor.
Ingredients for cooking:
- 1500 grams of pork loin cut into strips
Advertisement - 2250 grams of pork liver cut into cubes
Advertisement - 35 cloves of garlic, minced
- 41 medium onion, sliced thinly
- 52 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
- 61 small red bell pepper cut into strips
- 72 small potatoes, cut into cubes (4 to 6 pieces)
- 81 medium carrot, cut into small cubes
- 91 tablespoons full of raisins
- 101/2 cup of sweet peas
- 111/2 cup of chick peas (garbanzos)*optional
- 121/4 cup of tomato paste
- 132 pieces bay leaves
- 141 cup of cooking oil (some for frying potatoes and carrots and some for sautéing the garlic and onions)
- 15soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste
- 161 cup of meat broth (if unavailable) water
Ingredient for the marinade:
Preparation:
- 1Marinate pork loin in marinade mixture for about 15 to 30 minutes or more for added flavor to the meat. Set aside.
Cooking Method:
- 1In a casserole, heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Put in the marinated pork loin in medium heat constantly stir and wait for it to brown. Set aside but still in the casserole.
- 2Then add the garlic stir until they are golden brown and add the onions, after a minute add the tomatoes, stir constantly until they are sautéed well.
- 3Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, bay leaf and pork broth or water. Season the stew with salt and pepper to taste.
- 4Bring the stew to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the pork for about 30-60 minutes or until meat is tender. Check the amount of liquid if it may seem necessary to add more broth or water do so, about half a cup at a time. The consistency of the stew should be thick and not runny.
- 5When the meat is tender, add the pork liver cubes and red hot dogs. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- 6Add the pre-fried potatoes and carrots, sweet peas and bell pepper strips.
- 7Add the finishing touches season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Adjust it to your taste. Stir to mix ingredients.
- 8Serve while it is hot on top of steamed rice.
Tips
- 1Pre-frying potato and carrot is optional
- 2Chili can be added for a spicier Menudo.
- 3If you are not a liver fan you can eliminate it, or use liver spread instead.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
