Filipino Food Recipe – Dinuguan
Dinuguan also called as Tid-Tad in Pampanga, Dinardaraan in Ilocano, Sinunggaok or Champene in Batangas, Sampayna or Champayna in Mindanao, and Pork Stew, Chocolate Meat or Blood Pudding Stew in English is a very delicious stew of offal (composed of entrails and internal organs of animals), which is simmered in a spicy, rich gravy of pig blood. The term dinuguan was derived from the word dugo, which means blood.
Do not be deceived by its name, wait until you have tasted one. It is very usual to consider this meal as alarming to others because of its name; however, this is similar to Britain’s Black pudding or Europe’s Blood Sausage. It’s appearance is somewhat similar to Poland’s Czernina Soup or more like an ancient food from the Spartan called Melas Zomos or Black Soup, which all of these recipes have pork, vinegar and pork blood as the main ingredients.
If you do not like to use offal as the meat for the dinuguan, you can use any pork meat you desire like pork belly or pork shoulder. This dish is a favorite of Filipinos because it goes well with a hot steaming white rice or Philippine rice cake known as Puto.
Notes
- To thicken easily the pig’s blood while simmering, refrigerate the blood in a very sealed container before using it for cooking. Make sure to cook it in a low-medium heat while simmering so that it maintains its creaminess without overcooking it.
- If you do not find it appetizing to use pork blood, you may use cow’s blood or duck’s blood. However, if you use cow’s blood, you must also use beef meat for it does not goes well with any other pork, same as the duck’s blood
Ingredients
- 1 kl pork meat (pork belly, shoulder or butt); cut into serving size
- 3 cups pork blood
- ¼ kl pork liver; cubed
- 4 cloves garlic; crushed
- 2 cups water or pork broth
- 1 pc onion, minced
- Ginger; shredded
- 2pcs green chili pepper
- ½ cup vinegar
- 3 T fish sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the pan with cooking oil
- Sauté ginger, garlic and onion
- Add the pork liver and let it cook for 5 minutes
- Add the pork meat and the fish sauce, letting it simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender
- Add the broth and vinegar
- Bring it to a boil without stirring
- Lower the heat and add the pork blood, continue simmering until the blood becomes thick
- Add the green chili pepper and season to taste
- Serve with hot steamed white rice
Image Credit: Pepper.PH
