Perhaps calling this dish “dinuguan” is misleading in that it strays quite far from the traditional definition of the dish that uses internal organs. But if you treat “dinuguan” as a method of cooking instead, then maybe the name would still be acceptable… But the name doesn’t really matter once you taste it. I thought it was a real revelation. :) Nice chunky bits of meaty lechon, mixed with lechon sisig for added flavor and texture and coated with a silky thick blood sauce with lots of lemongrass and chilis. This is the dish that seems to have finally gotten me over the dinuguan phobia I used to have…
Into a large kawali or wok went 2-3 tablespoons of finely minced garlic, some 6-7 tablespoons of sliced red onions, 1-2 tablespoons of minced ginger, and lots of sliced chilis together with 3-4 tablespoons of lard. This was sauteed for a few minutes until soft. The chilies in this photo look excessive, but that’s only because they were incredibly mild; so mild, in fact, I added ten more siling labuyo (bird’s eye chilis) later in the process to ramp up the spice. Adjust volume of chilis to your own personal heat preference.
Next I added approximately half a kilo of lechon sisig, the smaller cuts, skin, cartilage, fat and meat added flavor and texture to the dish. This was sauteed for a few minutes and the rendered fat added richness to the sauce.
I then added a kilo and a half of freshly cooked lechon, cut into cubes. The cubes turned out later to be a bit big, so make sure you make them bite-sized pieces. These were meaty peices from the thigh, and again, in retrospect, one could have used a mix to provide a bit more fat if desired. Next I added some 5-6 cups of fragrant pork and lemongrass stock and let this simmer for at least 12-15 minutes until the lechon meat had softened further. Oh, don’t forget several bay leaves and lots of cracked black pepper and salt and vinegar to taste.
Approximately 3+ cups of pig’s blood was added to the pot and we stirred constantly and within a minute or so, this silky and rather thick sauce just materialized. The seasoning was adjusted and a few minutes later the dish was done.
Let me again reiterate that this was not a traditional dinuguan. But it was a REALLY GOOD dinuguan, in my opinion. Chunky bits of meat swimming in a nicely thickened and flavored blood sauce. The sisig made you wonder what exactly were you eating.
Biting into the lechon resulted in a little burst of lechon flavor, that then mixed in with the dinuguan sauce. YUM. Great with rice. I was on a diet but I still ate several pieces of meat. If I could have added a little more of something to make it better, it would have been a little more lechon fat instead of using such lean meat. :)
We made enough dinuguan for the crew in the office, then I packaged some up and put it in the freezer. I wanted to see if the dinuguan would travel and reheat well. The following day, I brought several containers for us to try in Manila and it reheated nicely.
The crew tried to jazz up the rather brown and muddy looking dish. But the proof is in the taste. I wonder just how many of you might be tempted to try such a dish. Though I would also definitely have to serve the traditional dinuguan made with innards right by its side… It’s a bit of a morbid way to finish this post, but the heart does indeed pump blood, and today is “heart day”… so Happy Valentine’s to all. :)
58 Responses
salivating..
gosh lechon in dinuguan! what a brilliant idea!
I eat my lechon with dinuguan and rice whenever both are available. You will make eating both easier for me when you start offering them at your counter!! :-)
Happy Valentine’s to all!!
In Pampanga, we have our own version of dinuguan. Pampango version is not as black as this more famous version of dinuguan.
Ingredients include the thorughly cleaned pig intestine (using lots of vinegar, lime, papaya leaves,salt), the pig head and the trotters. We first boil everything, discard the water, chop into bite size pieces before boiling again, this time in vinegar. It is seasoned with ground black pepper, lots of garlic, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, the pig’s blood is boiled to make it solid then cubed. Finally, the whole lot is sauted (including the cubed blood) in a huge vat (kawa) in lots of garlic and onion. Finger chilli is then added and then simmered to desired tenderness of the meat.
Yummy! This I would definitely scarf down, with lots of rice and a sprinkling of chicharon on top. Washed down with ice cold Coke Light, of course, to “cancel” out the calories… =)
Hello MM, After reading the series and looking at the pictures comes the craving. And this is coming at me so strong, considering I needed the break and instead I’m leaving the house to try and find pig’s blood, it is Sunday afternoon here. The catalyst is that lechon in the fridge just there waiting. Wish me luck! Happy Valentine’s to everyone here!
Whether innards are part of the ingredient or not if it is cooked with blood and souring agent in the blood then it is “dinuguan” to me. I love it mixed with a little fat not only lean meat which is my aunt’s way of cooking her “dinuguan”, yes she removes all the fat from the meat so that when it is cooked it is like “bunot”. Her children likes it because it is what they are used to eating here in USA but us kids from the Phils. love it with fat and innards and meat, the whole thing regularly put in “dinuguan”. Even the husbands, who are all foreigners, of my sister and other cousins all eat dinuguan, yes they all like it.
Actually, all of my foreign brother-in-law, cousins-in-law, other relative-in-laws have all been “trained” to eat our Filipino Food, which they all love. Happy Valentine MM and Mrs.MM and to everybody.
would love to try this as i always eat dinuguan and lechon with rice during town fiestas.. In fact, these 2 are what i only look for when we go ‘mamista’ at friends’ homes.
Where in manila can I taste this dinuguan? pls help?
yum-good! that definitely looks and smells like another eyeball!
Dinuguan Lechon, an excellent idea. The dinuguan that my relatives cook in Batangas do not have internal organs. They always use fried pork. The internal organs are left for bopis. Next project perhaps?
aarrgghhh! so hard to fight the craving. =)
i only eat home cooked dinuguan because botcha is rampant in the market, i havnt try a lechon dinuguan, same b pagluto, we’ll experiment
wow MM!how I wish you could also sell the Zubuchon Dinuguan in our place in vacuum-packed containers so that we’ll be able to taste it just like w/ the popular brands in the market.ready-to-eat, home cooked meals.delicious!!!
OMG MM, oh by the way, do u have a post for BOPIS? Thanks
My mom–who was Ilongga–used cow’s blood in her dinuguan because it made the sauce thicker. Now you can only get pig’s blood in wet markets and you’re not sure if its clean and fresh. Unfortunately meat shops don’t sell pig’s blood. Makes it hard for us dinuguan lovers.
Em, sorry, I have never made bopis myself. daphne…we are working on it. But from experimentation to product introduction can take months… :)
Dinuguaan is better know as “tinumis” in our town, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija. I grew up eating tinumis mostly with pork skin, some fat and meat… not much of the innards… and only when we do slaughter the pig. we refrain from buying blood from the wet market. Instead of vinegar, we use young tamarind leaves, we call them “usbong” ng sampalok or if not available we use tamarind fruit pulp, almost like sinigang but less broth. my father’s version is more leaning to the “tostado” side, almost dried version, which I prefer.
MM, when i was in Japan my friends use to buy frozen dinuguan pack, Bangus and Tilapia for our pulutan ( Filipino Store). I didnt ask if it is really came from the Philippines. Just put it in the microwave and it is done….
this is premium dinuguan, can’t wait for it to be available in the market.
i cook bopis i used beef lungs…but most of bopis i saw on wat they cook is just an ordinary cook in vinegar, garlic.onion. pepper…bit in put a twist in my bopis i put tomato sauce carrots and bell pepper to add flavor and aroma with chili…yummy…mr. market man..u must try it..
my grandma her specialty is “dinuguan” she used internal organ and meat ,,..its really good…she used “kamias” was so great with a sour taste and hot…with chili fingers…
hi marketman…how do you make the lemongrass stock?
Am not a Dinuguan lover myself Mr. MM. But Mhmmm HMMM.. yummy. Just looking at the photos makes me look at Dinuguan in a whole new perspective. How I wish I was one of your crew. How lucky can anyone be? Lechon = Dinuguan. Lethal Gastronomic Delight. (“,) yum yum yum…
Gli, I make a pork stock from lechon bones or parts, or alternatively from pork bones and meat, and last choice, MSG free stock cubes, then add several stalks of bruised lemongrass bulbs and let it simmer until fragrant… quick pork and lemongrass stock.
In Kanin Club (there’s a branch at UP-Ayala Center, Commonwealth), they serve sitsaron dinuguan. You never get to see the cholesterol covered by the black sauce.
in rural areas,when people are not well-off, they use chopped up banana hearts as extenders for dinuguan. still yummy. I didn’t notice the difference until someone told me.
we only lived once………and am gonna try it. this is excellent with steamy basmati rice with lakatan on my side.
The dinuguan at Country Side on Katipunan outside Blue Ridge is our favorite. I actually took my new wife there several years ago for a Valentine’s date…something we still do occasionally when we’re feeling romantic or I’m feeling cheap. HVD MM!!
Ahhh too many variations of zubuchon….too bad I have not even tried the real one :(
makes me so hungry now (rumbling tummy)
I had dinuguan yesterday!! Happy Heart’s Day to all!
I think next time you are in Ilocos you should try the Ilocano version. My grandma uses all meat and fat from the skin and they saute it until the fat is rendered. It is very dry dinuguan, not soupy, except for the rendered fat that goes very well with hot rice. And it transport very well.
The looks of this third version is the one I am waiting for albeit a bit posh;-)
But I’ll admit I love the dinuguan with the innards and I remember Inang using lots of dried wild oregano for aromatics. I miss the sweet, sour (and sometimes bitter like papaitan) taste of this Filipino dish.
This was once my fave food… Sprinkle with lots of toasted garlic before eating…yummy!
This reminds me of the preparation of pressed duck (or at least how I saw it prepared). Rare duck meat sliced and plated. The remaining bones, gristle and blood is pressed and the resulting juices are served with the duck. Though I know your preparation actually involved cooking the blood with pork, the finished product sort of looks likes pressed duck or at least the presentation. I would adore a taste of this interpretation. The final plating…I’ll give your crew an ‘A’ for effort.
My dinuguan version evolved over time and depended on availability of ingredients and health concerns. In the early 60’s when I first arrived in the US and frozen pig or cow blood was unavailable, my dugo came from blood sausage which I added to the pork lean meat cubes and “defatted” fresh pork rinds…just leaving the skin and slicing off the fat. I served it calling it “chocolate pudding” which my American and foreign guests heartily ate without so much asking questions. The “chocolate” took care of that.
I boil the pigue or shoulder with garlic, onions and peppercorns, sometimes a few cloves (clavos) until the meat does not let out pink juices when pierced. When the meat chunk has cooled, I then cut up the meat into cubes , saute in lots of garlic, onions and simmer with patis until meat is half done about 15 minutes or so. I then add the pork broth to the sauted meat and continue to simmer in medium heat.
With the blood declotted with vinegar I slowly add it to the mixture until desired consistency. Season to taste with lots of freshly ground pepper and a pinch or two of sugar. I may add tenderized tripe or several slices of prepared jellied pig parts ( “shouse” from the deli-snout, ear,etc. similar to the sisig parts -my secret ingredient) which gives the dinuguan a more full -bodied flavor without the intestine ingredient. To lessen the guilt of too rich a pork laden dish I add julienned radish which in my mother’s days was used as extenders to the dinuguan. For those who cannot tolerate a more spicy dish, less spicy varieties of peppers may be added for the pepper flavor.
I like to add some dried oregano as well.
I generally cook dinuguan a day ahead of serving…seasons better and gives me time to skim off extra undesired fat after refrigeration.
For me, my dinuguan is not complete without freshly steamed puto.
I would happily try it. Are you planning to sell it? Any retail outlets planned in Metro Manila? I was so squeamish about dinuguan when young but I love it now, and here in Europe it exists in so many forms, boudin noir in France, morcilla in Spain, black pudding in Britain… but our home grown has its own virtues so yes, if you sell it, I’ll buy it! (always in Manila from June to October)
still salivating..
helo MM, this is really worth tasting! BTW, have you tried the Crispy Dinuguan from Kanin Club ( I think their main is in Sta. Rosa, but they have now a place at the UP-Ayala Technohub in Commonwealth, QC)?
Wow!!! So yummy… can’t wait to taste this new dish…
hey MM, do you plan to get Nathan Myhrvold’s “Modernist Cuisine” book/encyclopedia?
Hmmmm! When are we going to taste your dinuguan sir?
How different is MM’s recipe from the dinuguan that Kanin Club (Ayala Triangle Garden) serves? People flock to that place for their crispy dinuguan.
@chrisz: I think Kanin Club’s is more along the lines of lechon kawali in blood sauce and doesn’t have the sisig and lemongrass broth that MM’s has. Just a thought…
@MM: please, please, please make it available soon! In the meantime, I will wait for the Zubuchon my former boss will order for his wife’s birthday. There will be parts of lechon that will be set aside for the purpose of becoming a Zubu-guan… *drool*
one of my favorite native dishes. can’t find anywhere else except home
Wow! That looks yummy. *wiping drool off the keyboard*
Hi MM!
Me & my family love dinuguan, we use to do the “innards” version but eversince everyone else got their Uric Acid elevated LOL, we stopped that and made the lean meat version. We also cook this when we see the pig itself na kinatay/slaughtered. We have a neighbor & a suki at a nearby palengke.
We’re going to Cebu on March and I can’t wait to eat some Zubochon!!!
MM, you just made dinuguan more endearing to my husband! He loves lechon and likes dinuguan…combined together, it would be heaven for him!
Back in Balayan, Batangas we would eat Dinuguan with Puto—love the contrasting taste of savory and sweet.
I tried cooking dinuguan once, but it ended up (ahm, not good). But looking at this makes me wanna try again! Now I have this stuck in my mind (and my gut will crave) the whole day. :)
Reminds me of Kanin Club’s Crispy Dinuguan : )
The best dinuguan I’ve ever had was an Ilocano version made with bagnet. The extra crispy chunks of pork were smothered in a vinegary and spicy blood broth that was out of this world. I used to use liempo and ribs for dinuguan, but now it’s my go-to recipe for leftover lechon kawali.
Oh my, nagugutom na ako. You should try the Ilocano version too. Dati takot din ako kumain ng dinuguan pero nung natry q Ilocano version, nahilig na rin ako.
i love dinuguan im cooking some for lunch!
hi MM, my mom cooks the best dinuguan. and she only use meat and fat of the pork, unlike other dinuguan reciped they use innards or laman loob. anyway, my mom told me thet you would know if the blood or the dinuguan is really cooked in vinegar already. it should be black and not brown or dark brown. here’s how my mom and i cooks the dinuguan. enjoy!
Ingredients:
pork maskara,boiled and cubed(small)
pork pigue, boiled and cubed (small)
pork blood
garlic, chopped
onions, chopped
red bellpeppers, chopped
white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
sugar, just to balance the acidity og the vinegar.
chilis
procedure:
1. in big mixing bowl, put in the blood and add vinegar. strain blood to avoid lumps. set aside.
2. in a wok, heat oil and sautee onion,garlic and bellpeppers until soft.
3. add pork maskara and pork pigue. season w/ salt and pepper.
4.once meat are nicely brown add in the pork blood w/ vinegar.
5. simmer in med-low heat, once it starts to simmer
6. continously stirring the dish to avoid curdles.
7. season to taste, add sugar, add chilis.
8. STIR.STIR.STIR. until the color changes to BLACK.
FINISH! ENJOY!;)
tip:
if it does not reach the blask color it means it lacks vinger.:)
OH! i forgot to tell you. DO NOT ADD WATER. since the liquid would be the blood. it will thicken and it will not be watery.//