Tag: pork
Igado (Pork and Liver Stew)
Igado (Pork and Liver Stew)
Igado is pork and liver braised in vinegar and soy sauce with peas and bell peppers. It has similar flavor components and preparation as adobo; where you cook off the raw vinegar flavor without stirring for the first 5 minutes. While liver might be a turn off to some, I’ve always been a huge fan. Liver happens to be more nutrient dense than muscle meat; being high in vitamins A, D, E, folic acid, and iron. It also costs around $2/lbs. For the pork, I used pork sirloin. It is an inexpensive cut that is still tender. You can substitute pork shoulder or belly. While the dish traditionally uses beef liver, I chose to double up the pork love and use pork liver. It is slightly milder in flavor compared to beef. Make sure to cut both the pork and liver in equally sized pieces.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced into strips
- 1 lb pork sirloin cut into strips
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 lb pork liver cut into strips
- 1/2 cup peas
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the pork with the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, and black pepper for 20 minutes.
- Drain the marinade from the pork and save.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the red bell pepper for 1 minute. Set aside in a bowl.
- In the same pan, add in the pork and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the saved marinade. Simmer for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Pour in the water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add in the liver. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the peas. Continue simmering for 2 minutes.
- Add in the bell peppers and season with salt. Cook for 1 more minute.
Fritada de Chancho (Ecuadorian Braised Pork)
Fritada de Chancho (Ecuadorian Braised Pork)
This Ecuadorian braised pork turns out like butter. It is so tender that chewing is barely required. A combination of boneless pork and bone in ribs are marinated in garlic and cumin, then braised for 2 hours. Once the water has evaporated, orange juice is added to the pork. It is then braised some more until the oj is gone. The pork is then browned in its own fat that it rendered out. Serve the pork with rice, beans, curtido, and avocado.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork sirloin or shoulder cubed
- 1 lb pork riblets
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 10 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 4 small shallots diced
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup orange juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the pork with garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper for 2 hours.
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and shallots for 3 minutes.
- Add in the pork. Sear for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours.
- At the 2 hour mark, the water should be almost completely evaporated.
- Pour in the orange juice. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated.
- Brown the pork in its own fat that it rendered out for 5 minutes.
Hong Shao Rou
Hong Shao Rou
This is my favorite way to prepare pork belly. Hong Shao Rou is a Shanghai Chinese classic dish. The belly is seared in melted sugar, then braised with light and dark soy sauces, shaoxing cooking wine, and aromatics, resulting in a reddish glossy melt in your mouth porky goodness. Serve the pork belly with steamed rice and a vegetable.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb pork belly 1/2” thick; cut into 2” pieces
- 2 green onions cut in half
- 4 slices ginger
- water
Braising Liquid
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 cups blanching liquid saved from the pork
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 green onions cut into 2” pieces
- 2 star anise pods
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in the pork belly, green onions, and ginger. Boil for 5 minutes. Skim off any of the scum that floats to the top.
- Drain the water, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. Rinse the pork belly under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat up cooking oil and sugar in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Watch the sugar. It will slowly turn an amber color. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the pork belly in a single layer to the pan.
- Cook the pork belly for 1 minute a side, making sure the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Add in the ginger and green onions. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the soy sauces and cooking wine. Cook for a minute, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the recesrved 2 cups of the blanching liquid. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes.
