I haven’t been too fond of internal organs or offal thus far. I have had liver many times and have eaten lots of sausages with natural casings. And I have enjoyed tripe a few times. I did eat cow’s brain a few times while living in Indonesia but that was over a decade ago. Even tongues seem to be a bit of a textural turn-off. However, I do love cuts of meat such as ox tails, and in the past few years I have really taken to sisig which includes external parts of a pig’s head, ears, etc. Bone marrow I find delicious as well. So frankly, I don’t really know much about the internal organs of a pig… until I really tried to pay attention this morning as the internal organs of a pig that we slaughtered earlier in the day were readied for some dinuguan experimentation. But before the other organs, let me start with this dish of deep fried chicharon bulaklak. I always assumed that this dish was fried intestines, all shriveled up. Only after some googling and checking did I learn that its actually part of an animals mesentery or omentum, “stuff” the surrounds intestines and provides connections/linkages with other internal parts. Suffice it to say they are NOT technically intestines. And sorry, I didn’t manage to get a photo of them uncooked…
The organs or portions of organs are boiled with some spices and then deep fried in lard and served with a chili vinegar. Roger, one of the crew, cooked this version for his lunch. These ones looked incredibly crisp and tasty, but being on a diet, I didn’t have any and just took these photos for all you chicharon bulaklak lovers out there…
The large pigs liver is on the upper left-hand corner of the photo, the lungs and heart below it. And meters of intestines to the right.
The lungs and heart.
The surprisingly small stomach… All of this stuff covered up the “bulaklak” and they did not include the tampalen or caulfat, if any significant amounts were found (the pig was only 30+ kilos in size, so quite small still. From these internal organs, we made three batches of dinuguan. Let me just say, two of those batches were REALLY, REALLY delicious… :) Up next.
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“If you’re going to kill the animal it seems only polite to use the whole thing. ”
-Fergus Henderson.
Dinugu-an, chicharon bulaklak and maybe crispy pata and lechon kawali! Makes me drool!
And don’t forget the sisig!
Hm.. i’ve earlier read the diet post, now it’s the ‘age stopper’ naman.. interesting ~ hehe
Come to think of it, I think there’s never been a Bopis a la Marketman featured on this blog. :)
pink lungs. the pig did not smoke until it became bacon.
those look yummy!
Oh…its early morning here and no breakfast yet, pero I will trade my banana to your newly fried chicharon bulaklak. They look so fresh and “clean”. When I was there last May, I have tried in many places this delicacy, and nothing taste good. Either “maanta”, makunat, gamey, or plain.. luma na talaga. Ang mahal pa naman po. So next time na magkatay ang pinsan ko sa province, I will ask him to reserve this part of the pig for me, para maka sure na maka-kain ako ng ultimate favorite ko among the chicharon out there.
the joke here is that chicharon, lechon kawali, chicharon bulaklak and other deep fried pork dishes are PAMPABATA…. you don’t get a chance grow old, you die young. but that has not stop me from enjoying these types of food!!!
this chicharon and cold san mig light – the best! pero diet muna…
A chicharon bulaklak post during diet time? Ha ha!
it makes me drool MM :(
The perfect song for this goes like “Killing me softly…” haha
EbbaBlue yeah same here, I’m eating oatmeal and banana for b’fast and what do i see? Chicharon bulaklak!! geez. I’ve been craving dinuguan, pindang/tocino, longaniza chicharon & more because of MM’s blog!!
Looking at the picture of the pig’s innards reminds me of my lola’s dinuguan & pulutok. Pulutok is kinda like bopis, not sure though. Ingredients are ground heart, lungs, liver, puso ng saging & vinegar. Sarap! Nakakagutom :( i miss my lola
Excellent job cleaning up all the organ meat! Weird, but they actually look appetizing to me. If only meat vendors at wet markets presented their merchandise that way- no flies, no blood, and I’m guessing no smell too?
I’m a big fan of chicharon bulaklak. My mom used to buy these at the market and cook em at home. No vetsin for us. A good sprinkling of rock salt over the chicharon a few seconds after the chicharon is taken out of the vat of oil.
My dipping sauce is vinegar with crushed garlic.
The presentation of the bulaklak is enviously simple.
So yummy.. but thanks, diet mode din lol
MM, sorry, off topic – Just wanted to share with my fellow MarketManila readers – if anybody is interested –
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This was a very (VERY) rare treat for us (okay, mainly me as my brothers didn’t care for chicharon bulaklak) growing up in Manila. I was probably 10 years old the last time I had this! Your photos are making me drool.
Are you writing about sinful stuff so we will further fail with our diet as you proceed with yours? :)
chicharon bulaklak after dinuguan! your scrumptious posts lately, MM, are just food porn to me.
really looks delicious…hinay hinay sa mga ganitong foodies….nom nom!
I’m used to seeing animal innards (though I hardly eat em) at home since my mom loves making all the kare-kare, bopis, papaitan, dinuguan, etc with innards just the way they had it in Tarlac when they were young. I remember the first time I watched the lungs and heart being prepared for bopis and got grossed out. But becoming a foodie has made me interested in this cuisine, though I still don’t eat them. I have to overcome it sometime soon, I guess. :)
On the other hand, I love properly cooked chicharon bulaklak. I’ve eaten some that were fatty (more than usual) that I had to spit it out. But I discovered this place in Anonas beside SM Savemore with the best chicharon bulaklak. I don’t even know the store’s name, but every time we pass by, we buy some! :) Craving for this at this hour is so not good. :)
and that is why i could never go vegetarian =)
Dear MM, how and where do you find the will to not taste those sinful chicharong bulaklak when it’s right in front of you? :)
When my Tatay was still alive, he used to cook around 10 kilos or even more depending on how many bulaklak he can find early in the morning in the small market in our hometown in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. Imagine, spending hours cleaning and cooking all these only to be wiped out by our clan, young and old, in a matter of minutes! Parang may ramble once naluto na iyon ng Tatay! Really sinful specially because he makes this during our yearly reunion every Maundy Thursday!
Oh my! That looks so scrumptious!
I like it with pickled water spinach stems…
@Clarissa, is it Ana Lisa where they also sell really good crispy pata?
just like being autopsied, you weigh the heart, lungs, brain & what have you=)
MM, does your trainer read your blog? lol
EEeeeew. Barf-o-rama. These pictures can turn me vegan or just bulemic.
hmmmm, krissy, have you ever eaten a hotdog, vienna sausage or breakfast sausage? Ever wonder what goes into those? You may want to look it up sometime, here’s a good place to start. :)
I LOVE dinuguan! The real version, with innards, not the urbanized versions with actual meat. An uncle of mine (my mom’s first cousin) used to make fantastic dinuguan whenever he had a pig slaughtered for lechon in Batangas. He passed away a few years ago so sadly I’ll never have his specialty again.
As for chicharon bulaklak, I love that, too! But I can only have 2 to 4 pieces before my brain convinces me that I’m about to have a heart attack and have to stop eating. lol
Can’t wait for your dinuguan posts!
I really like this MM! Should try cooking it this weekend…I’m sure my family will love it!
MM, have u tried using the lungs and heart for Bopis? that’s another experiment you can do.
MM, just to add on what Bubut said, u can also include the esophagus for the yummy bopis :-)
WOW! so yummy, nakaka laway.
I have tried one of the best chicharon bulaklak ever at LZMs in Silang, Cavite.
@MM re: hotdogs and other “mystery meats” – let me add to that: chicken nuggets! Who knows what goes into these…
@iFoodTrip: that is one statement I agree with wholeheartedly. Even better if the animal to be killed has actually lived a happy, animal-appropriate life. Factory farmed, it is not.
@Garlicky: I didn’t know bopiz included esophagus. I naturally assumed it included intestines and liver, a bit of stomach.
I can’t pick a favorite laman-loob but I do enjoy pigs intestine on a stick and made toasty over charcoal then drowned in sukang maanghang! A winner with or without beer!
ano to ????????????? ang sarrraappppp naman MM. pair well with chilling cerveza negra on a sunday afternoon jazz.
Chicharon bulaklak – yum yum! Deadly, but absolutely delicious. I prefer the smaller sized parts because it’s all crunchy, unlike the larger parts, which have a big fatty part in the middle. =)
Have you tried Crunchy Dinuguan using lechon kawali or better yet chicharon bulaklak and bituka? Heaven for chicharon and dinuguan lovers.,
Now, that is what I call heaven on earth . . . whether as pulutan with ice cold beer or as ulam with rice, dipped in sukang Paombong with lots of crushed garlic.
Meh, I’ll pass on the chicharon bulaklak but give me liver anytime! Wow! this is actually the first time i saw chicharon bulaklak which actually looks like one! how about a boquet of porcine flowers for Valentines day anyone? :)
that piggy led a healthy lifestyle–look at those pink organs…love innards!!
My moms favorite and me too but have not eaten this for a decade :(
Waiting desperately for the dinuguan even just a picture of it para ko na ring natikman.
Our cook makes what I think is the best chicharon bulaklak. She doesn’t use the inner portion of the organ, just the curly parts on the outside. The result is a lighter, crispier chicharon without having to chew on the tough parts. I prefer this kind of chicharon over pig skin.
Gerry…my Ate back home makes chicharon bulaklak the same way your cook does though I don’t think she can convert me to it over my chicharon. I was just talking to her a few weeks ago when MM had the chicharon post and she asked me how to make chicharon!
Oh, I can also smell batchoy, MM…
waaaaah! i MISS this! I’m salivating while i’m typing!
i’m more used to calling the whole thing “GINABOT”, the outer parts are crispy while the inner parts are still chewy (which is my fave!)… CHICHARON BULAKLAK for me would mean it’s all crispy and broken up into pieces and sold in bags in stores…
when i was working in Cebu a year ago, i would have a food trip with friends… we were a courageous bunch who gambled our tummy’s health in “pungko-pungko” (sit-sit? i dunno how to translate it, lol! but it’s just random make shift buffet-like street food set up where you sit on low benches along the sidewalk…) when you sit down, they give you a small saucer with onions and salt, small plastic bag (to function as gloves) , and take your order of how many puso you want and how many “sparkol” (softdrink)… you add vinegar and sili to the saucer with onions to function as dipping sauce and you just take any thing you see on the tray infront of you, usually consists of fried mixed choices of GINABOT, NGOHIONG, PASAYAN and HOTDOG, sometimes an occasional boiled egg/balut wrapped in batter and fried)… ginabot would be the first one to be sold out!
our mothers would have a heart attack if they knew we were eating in these unsanitary places… but so far none of us got sick, our tummies must be made of metal or something… hehe… :)
speaking of Cebu street food, Marketman, have you posted something about NGOHIONG? the best one i’ve tried (IMO) was at the back of Cebu Normal… there’s something about their sauce and filling… with puso and a bottle of sparkle, yumm… too bad here in Davao I couldn’t find anything close to what i’ve tasted…
@Diane, I’m not sure, but everything they sell is fried! Their store is just a tiled stall, with a huge vat of oil waiting to be heated per order. Is there crispy pata good? :) I have never tried.
@Solraya, I think that’s the concept of Crispy Dinuguan of Kanin Club. They use fried meat, then pour over the bloody sauce. :) I’m sure traditionalists (like my mom) hate it, but having never eaten dinuguan, I tried it and well, I liked it.
MM, must you be so cruel? I haven’t eaten chicharon bulaklak in 5 years. :(
KC, you are right, in Cebu this is called ginabot. And the central part is desired.
Hahahahaha this was the first thing I purchased early on the day that I arrived in Ormoc during our holidays.A friend runs a resto and this is one of their specialties!
MM, I admire your self-control. I would have dug in at the sight of freshly-fried chicharon bulaklak!!!
@ Kasseopeia: My mother-in-law taught me to include the esophagus to this yummy dish, which for me, makes the bopis more interesting to eat because it’s “malutong”. If you want to try it, just make sure that you boil it, and clean it using lots of rock salt to remove the “slimey” covering. I assure you it’s good!
It is such a relief to learn today that “bulaklak” is omentum and not intestine; I always enjoyed bulaklak, but felt slightly uncomfortable believing I was eating intestines and contents. Now I am looking forward more than ever for my next visit to sample some again.
while looking at the photos, i thought i haven’t tried pork lungs, until i’ve read in the comments that they’re included in bopis.
i like chicharong bulaklak. we usually pair it with ginisang monggo and rice for lunch. yum!
Dear Marketman,
I am a fan of yours and regularly follow your posts. The series on dinuguan and other pork dishes however, was a little bit difficult for me to stomach especially after seeing this video: http://www.meatvideo.com. Reading about the butete gasping for air was also quite a shock. While vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, I thought that I’d at least put it out there and perhaps it will inspire you to cook more animal-friendly fare. :)
Best,
Hayley
Hayley, I understand your view, but unfortunately, I am personally a carnivore, and possibly, almost an omnivore. There are lots of vegetarian or semi-vegetarian dishes in the archives if you search through them, but pork and meat of all sorts won’t disappear from the blog either. And intellectually, I assume that all plants, trees, etc. are also alive, and by killing and eating them, often raw, we are hastening their demise, though they may not writhe or scream or struggle like an animal might. Best to just skip meat dishes if they aren’t to your liking. Thanks.
There will be famine and war if 7 Billion people will turn vegetarian. The rate of deforestation will be faster than what we have today leading to the destruction of mother earth. we have to accept that current food chain has to stay as cruel as the video on hayleys link to feed the world. For those who have money and can afford to be vegan, support organic or local food movement my hats off to you guys and continue what you are doing but let’s admit it that billions of people mostly from developing countries like Philippines has to be fed this way…. It’s a sad reality :(.
thank you marketman for responding to Hayley’s comment graciously. i am a recovered vegetarian; i realized that a balanced diet is better for me. and that lifestyle choices, and FOOD choices are something to be respected. sorry i’ve had too many bump-ins with self righteous vegetarians, and i like the way you handled that comment. just saying.
cheers!
im from manila,but working in hongkong for so many years,met some new friends from northern philippines.they introduce me to this famous ilocano dish called PAPAITAN and its absolutely very good especially in cold days.sarap humigop ng sabaw.try nyo po.
Just wanted to say that for the record, I do respect everyone’s food and lifestyle choices – whatever makes you happy. I do still enjoy reading about MM’s adventures :) Cheers guys.
I was in NY in 1993 and was invited to the cocktail party inauguration of the then new PNB offices. Looking around, I saw a waiter carrying a big tray of chicharong bulaklak. I was so delighted, I jumped on the seat of a sofa and grabbed two fistfuls of it. When I showed everybody my prize and shouted “LOOK,†a friend said, “Babes, bago ka lang dating dito, ano?†She deadpanned, “Marami dito nyan!â€
Check out the latest edition of Businessweek. They have an article about pork rinds (chicharon) that Frito Lay sells as Baken-ets. They use some secret process to smoke and season it, and they even fry it in lard.
where can i buy caul fat?