29/06/2025
Classic Filipino Menudo (Saucy Style)
Filipino Menudo has deep Spanish roots, which has been probably introduced to the Philippines during the colonial era. As the Spanish influence merged with local culinary practices, the dish transformed into a unique Filipino favorite. Menudo became a symbol of cultural fusion, adapting to the available ingredients and catering to the Filipino palate.
Unveiling the Charms of a Filipino Classic
Filipino Menudo is a savory and tomato-based stew featuring a medley of meats and vegetables. Unlike its Mexican counterpart, Filipino Menudo primarily uses pork, along with liver, creating a rich and hearty dish.
The dish typically includes bite-sized pork cubes, liver slices, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and green peas. Some versions will have red hotdogs, while some may also add raisins, pineapples, and other unique additions, all of which highly depend on a variety of factors, but is mostly all about preference. These ingredients are stewed in a flavorful tomato sauce enriched with soy sauce, creating a sweet, savory, and slightly tangy profile.
Classic Menudo Recipe
Ingredients:
Meat:
-2 kilos Pork Shoulder or Kasim, cut "menudo" style
-250 grams Pork Liver or Beef Liver, cut into cubes
Marinade:
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup calamansi juice
-1/2 tsp to 1 tsp ground black pepper
-1 head of garlic, minced
-2 large red onions, chopped
-1 large stalk of celery, chopped
-1 large bell pepper, chopped
-2 tbsp tomato paste
-100 grams sweet pickle relish
-200 grams tomato sauce
-500ml water or pork broth (pork broth cube + 500mL water)
-1 large carrot, cubed
-2 medium potatoes, cubed
-2 bell peppers, cut into triangles
-2 jumbo hotdogs, sliced
Seasonings:
-patis, to taste
-salt, to taste
-pepper, to taste
-sugar, about 1 tbsp, add more to taste
-liquid seasoning, about 1 tbsp, add more to taste
-Worcestershire sauce, about 1 tbsp, add more to taste
Others:
-oil for frying and sauteing
-water and/or pork broth, as needed
Procedure:
1.) Marinate pork in soy sauce, calamansi, and black pepper. You may also save a little bit of the soy sauce and calamansi to marinate the liver as well. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and allow to marinate for a couple of hours.
2.) On a hot wok or pan with oil and on high flame, sear the pork cubes, ideally in batches. This is so that the pork is able to be seared and browned properly. Set aside pork once done.
***Important: Pan frying the pork all in one go will just cause it to release all of its water/juices, lowering the temperature of your pan. All of a sudden, you are now just boiling your pork instead of pan frying/pan searing.
In this demonstration, I've used a carbon steel wok in order to sear the pork cubes more efficiently and effectively. This is due to the high conduction and heat retention of this pan.
3.) On the same pan, saute garlic until light brown, followed by the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Continue sauteing until these have softened and browned or slightly caramelized.
4.) Add tomato paste. ***Important: Make sure to saute the tomato paste for a few minutes, until it gets a deeper, "brick-red" color. This step helps to mellow down the acidity of the tomato paste, while also caramelizing its naturally-occuring sugars, giving it a deeper flavor.
5.) Add back seared pork. Mix and saute everything together for a couple more minutes until everything is well combined.
6.) Add about a cup of water or broth to deglaze the pan. This will allow us to effectively scrape and lift off the browned bits of caramelized meat and/or aromatics that have been stuck in the bottom of the pan. These are referred to as fond, and are concentrated bits of flavor that will upgrade our dish.
7.) Add the pickles, sugar, and tomato sauce. Season with a little liquid seasoning. Add the rest of the water or broth. Mix everything well and bring liquid to a boil. Once boiling, immediately switch to a low flame setting so that we now get to a simmer. Cover pan.
8.) While pork is simmering, deep-fry potatoes in oil (on medium flame) for a couple of minutes, or until exterior gets a golden brown color. Set aside. Deep-fry the carrots for a minute or two, or just until it gets a little browning on the outside. Set aside.
9.) Pan-fry the bell peppers until it gets seared. Do the same with the hotdogs. Pan-fry the liver on medium-high flame, for a couple of minutes, until it gets some browning on the outside. Set these aside.
10.) After about 45 mins to an hour, or when the pork has sufficiently tenderized (ideally when the pork skin can be pierced effortlessly with a knife or fork), add the liver, potatoes, carrots, and hotdogs. Mix everything well and allow to simmer for a few more minutes.
11.) Taste the dish and check if it needs further seasoning. You may choose to season with salt and/or patis (fish sauce), pepper, liquid seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. You may also add a bit more sugar to give it a sweetness level that you prefer. At this point, use your preference to make judgement calls on the seasonings.
12.) Lastly, add the bell peppers, mix everything well, simmer for minute or two, then turn off flame.
13.) Ideally, dishes like menudo are best eaten the day after they are cooked. This is so to allow all the flavors to settle down and really meld together. But of course, it won't be a problem to enjoy it right away with a steaming bowl of hot white rice!
