Sisig: Two years in the making
Like any Filipino living in a foreign land, I also have moments where I miss Filipino food so much. Sometimes, no matter how you try to replicate a Filipino dish, it doesn't always feel and taste like the ones made back home. Maybe it's the entire ambiance or the quality of the ingredients or maybe, it's the love that goes into every food that is prepared in all Filipino homes that is missing.
During days that I crave for something very sinful, I always dream of eating something cholesterol laden such as chicharong balat and laman (crispy pork skin and meat), chicharong bituka (crispy intestines), lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly), lechon (whole roasted pig), crispy pata (deep fried pork leg), isaw (grilled intestines) and of course, pork sisig (chopped crispy bits of pork cheeks, ears mixed with lots of onions, garlic, chilis and black pepper). Just thinking of it is making me drool! All Filipino food require a lot of love to be able to replicate them well. Getting that kind of cooking atmosphere in a country where the sun doesn't exactly shine 365 days in a year and where loved ones are not present, is not easy. Nonetheless, I do try my best to make it taste as close as possible. This is my only pastime, after all. :)
It is hard to find pig and cow innards in Finland for the reason that these are parts that they rarely use. The most frequently used innards in Finnish Cuisine would be the liver and the heart. I've never seen any intestines mainly used in any Finnish food. The only place that I have seen intestines being sold is at the Helsinki Kauppahalli (Market Hall). Helsinki has more foreigners than in any other part of Finland so they have these ingredients occasionally available in the market hall. Unfortunately, I don't live in Helsinki. :( I live in Lahti, which is an hour train ride away from Helsinki and it costs 32 euros for a round-trip ticket (approx. Php 1,720.00). Obviously, I am not willing to spend a huge amount of money just for intestines. Haha.
Instead of intestines, I choose a different weapon, PORK BELLY. I thank God that the pork belly is one of the cheapest cuts of meat that is found in Finland, especially if you choose to buy them uncut. *big hooray for me!* Because of the abundance of pork belly, I have managed to cook lechon kawali a couple of times already. But, sisig? I have never even attempted to recreate it. It's because of the fear that it will just become a big disappointment since I do not have any access to pork ear and pork cheeks. And, honestly, I really do not know how to make it. @.@
But, this time, I have made my pork sisig dreams come true!
Do not fret! Making pork sisig is not difficult at all! All ingredients are readily and inexpensively accessible at your friendly grocery or markets.
Let's begin, shall we?
Home-made Pork Sisig
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo Pork belly (whole)
1 pc. bay leaf, handful of black peppercorns, 2 slices of ginger, 2 Tbsp of vinegar (These ingredients are for the liquid that you will boil your pork belly in)
4 white or red onions, chopped
1 whole garlic, minced
1 habanero chili, minced (including seeds) or Siling Labuyo (Bird's eye chili)
3 pcs. green chili peppers, sliced thinly
2-3 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Vinegar
Juice of half a lemon or lime (If you have calamansi, the better!)
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. In a large pot, place pork belly, bay leaf, black peppercorns, ginger, and vinegar. Fill the pot with enough water to submerge your pork belly in it. (I use these ingredients because it helps to remove any unpleasant porky smell from the meat). In medium heat, let the pork belly cook for an hour and a half.
2. While the pork belly is cooking, chop the onions, garlic and chili peppers and set aside in a bowl. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. (If you don't have an oven, you can always opt to deep fry the pork belly.)
3. After an hour and a half, remove the boiled pork belly from the pot and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place the pork belly in a roasting pan and roast it in the oven until the skin becomes crispy. If the pork belly browns too quickly, reduce the heat to 150-180 degrees. Lower temperatures mean that you may have to roast it longer. Patience is key! :)
4. Once your pork belly is roasted to a crisp, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool. Do not throw the pork belly oil! That oil is one of the key ingredients to a flavorful sisig!
5. When the pork belly is cool enough to handle, chop it into tiny pieces. Make sure you have a sharp knife to make it easier. Then, set aside.
6. In a hot frying pan, pour some of the pork oil. (Make sure that oil is hot enough as to avoid the onions and garlic from emitting liquid.) Add your onions, garlic and chili peppers all at the same time. (Warning: If you put a lot of chili peppers, be sure to step away from the fumes because the spicy fumes of the chili peppers might make you cough and gag. haha) Saute until it becomes brown and caramelized.
7. Add the chopped pork belly, soy sauce, vinegar and lemon juice or calamansi. Season with black pepper and salt to taste. I suggest that you do not stir the mixture so much so that you can make the pork bits crispier. Crisp up the bottom, stir and repeat until you are satisfied with the outcome.
8. Serve on a sizzling plate or any serving platter will do.
Adding egg, cheese, or mayonnaise is optional.
Personally, I don't like adding anything else to the sisig because I think it tends to cover the flavors too much.
Of course, it is best eaten with steaming bowls (yes, not one, but many many bowls!) of rice or partnered with chilled bottles of beer.
*omnomnomnom*
From now on, you'll never ever have to head out to Dencio's or any other resto bar just to have a bite of delectably sinful Pork Sisig!