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Roast Pig Head
Roast Pig Head
I’ve been wanting to roast a pig head for a long time. Stoned Soup contributor Melanie Paradise had the idea of having site followers vote each month on a “weird” ingredient for myself to prepare. For the first poll, I had followers chose between a pig head or a pig stomach. With 79% of the vote, pig head won overwhelmingly. Unless you’re from the south, most Americans wouldn’t even consider eating a pig’s head. But we sure love to eat hotdogs in the country, don’t we. Other than the crispy skin, amazing flavor, and tenderness from the pig’s cheek, jowls, and other bits of head meat, the purpose of eating the head is to utilize the entire animal. This is something that pretty much every other culture in the world does; a concept that is hard to grasp in our country. Most Americans would consider this a garbage cut and not even consider trying a pig head. And that ideology is what Stoned Soup is set out to destroy.Pretty much the only place you can find pigs head at is an Asian market. They sell half and whole pigs head at my favorite market for $1.59lb. I purchased a 5lb Head for $8. They come wrapped on a tray next to all the other pork cuts. The pigs head are usually cut either horizontals through the mouth and back of the head or vertically from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the jowl. They still have the eye, ear, and tongue attached. They can be anywhere from 4-8lbs a half a pig head. This preparation is a simple Filipino recipe. The outer skin is rubbed with vinegar and spices then allowed to dry out in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, place the pig head on a rack in a baking pan. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roast the pig head for 3 hours. Roasting at this tempature helps render out a lot of fat from the head. Then turn your oven up to 325 degrees. Roast for 90 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the size of the head. Roasting at this tempature cooks the head meat. Finally, turn your oven up to 425 degrees. Roast for 30-60 minutes. Roasting at this tempature crisps up the outer skin. Let rest before carving off the face meat. There happens to be a decent amount of meat from the head; at least 2lbs of meat and another lb. of crispy pig skin. You also have the tongue and crispy pig ear to chew on. The cheeks of the pig are the richest and most tender cut as far as I’m concerned. If you take off all of the meat and chop it up, you’d think you’re eating the most succulent pork shoulder you’ve ever had. Nothing “weird” about the taste or texture. You could say that it tastes “normal.” Pigs head are a great centerpieces for parties. The meat and skin can be eaten as is or chopped up for sisig, another great Filipino dish. I’m planning on turning mine into tacos. So if you want to try something that looks different but really isn’t in flavor, try roasting up a pig’s head. If you think you are being brave trying something like this. You’re not. Get over yourself and get some culture. End of pig head rant.
Ingredients
- 5-8 lb half Pig Head
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Rub the vinegar and spices over the pig head. Let rest uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, place in a pan on a rack.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roast for 3 hours. Turn oven up to 325 degrees. Roast for 2 hours. Turn oven up to 425 degrees. Roast 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the head.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Sautéed Cabbage
Sautéed Cabbage
This is the easiest side dish to make; especially when you have a bunch of extra cabbage that you don’t know what to do with. With just a few ingredients, this cabbage cooks up in under 10 minutes. Save the toasted Sichuan peppercorns. Their purpose of this dish is to make the cooking oil aromatic. They can be ground in a spice grinder and used in other dishes at a later time. The slight toasting will bring out their flavor even more.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorns
- 1 small green cabbage cored and roughly chopped
- 2 dried chilies
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Add the cooking oil and peppercorns to a wok or sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the peppercorns for just a minute. Remove the peppercorns with a slotted spoon and save.
- Add in the cabbage and dried chilies. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add salt. Sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and cook for 2 more minutes. Annnnnnnnnd…….done. That fast.
Chicken Korma
Chicken Korma
I feel out of every ethnicity of cooking that I’ve done on this site, Indian is always the most complex. There are so many ingredients and steps in a recipe. There is always a specific order in which ingredients need to be added to get the right flavor. This chicken korma recipe is definitely that. But, holy snikes! This is one of the best things I think i’ve ever made. Adding the cashew paste to this curry at the end gives it a nutty richness. There are so many aromatic flavors going on in this dish, it will give you a sensory overload. This is that dish that will make you feel all tingly inside; kinda like you just sat in a puddle. I’ll have what she’s having.If you want to make this dish vegan, you can leave out the chicken and Greek yogurt, substituting carrots, peas, and green beans and adding 3 more tbsp of cashew paste. Lamb, shrimp, and firm fleshed white fish are great substitutes for protein.
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs chicken thighs and drumstick bone in, skinless, cut into 2-3 pieces each
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 3 bay leaves
- 2” cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2” ginger minced
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup cashews soaked in warm water
- salt to taste
Garnish
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews chopped
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed large sauce pan, melt the ghee over medium high heat. Add in the cardamom pods, whole cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Fry for 30 seconds.
- Add in the onions. Cook until they start to change color.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the garlic and ginger with just a little bit of water to form a paste. Add that to the sauce pan with the chicken. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure that the chicken is evenly browned on all sides. They don’t have to be cooked through yet.
- Mix together the Greek yogurt, kashmiri chili powder, and turmeric. Add that to the sauce pan, making sure all of the chicken is coated in it. Simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to the sauce pan. Give it a stir. Cover. Reduce heat to medium low, simmering for 20 minutes. Give it a stir half way through.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the soaked cashews with a 1/2 cup of the soaking water to form a paste. Add that to the sauce pan. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, constantly stirring. Add salt to taste. Turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro and cashews.
- Serve with yellow rice and parathe.
