Philippino Menudo

So I was at my Gourmet Club Planning Meeting the other day, and we are doing an "Asian" meal this month. I REALLY love my Filipino food, and we will be making my "Filipino Mama's" recipe for Pancit Bihon (and I'm so psyched) but I brought up my FAVORITE Filipino dish... Menudo, and I got a lot of icky faces, and people who had DEFINITELY not eaten what I had. Apparently, Mexican's have a dish called Menudo as well - and it has all sorts of nasty ingredients in it. Fish and intestine and other gross stuff. Well, Filipino Menudo is SUPPOSED to have liver in it, but my "Mama" hates liver, so she doesn't put it in hers. Maybe that's why I like it so much :-P

So in honor of Gourmet Club, and the misgivings about Menudo, here is the recipe as I was best able to copy it down from an "Intuitive Cook."

(not my picture... I stole it from the internets. Sorry!)

Philippino Menudo!

1 Can Chick Peas

1 Can Tomato Paste (to thicken if necessary)

2 cans tomato sauce

7 Bright Leaf Red Hot Dogs, Sliced

1 Cup Raisins

2 Red/Yellow Peppers Sliced

1 Onion Sliced

2-3 Potatoes, diced

4+ Garlic cloves, crushed

3 cups pork, cubed

1 tbsp brown sugar

1.5? Cups Toyomansi (Pilipino soy sauce with calamansi – sour fruit juice)

1.5 cups peas and carrots (frozen is fine)

1.      Fry potatoes slightly to cook and hold shape

2.      Marinate Pork bits in Toyomansi for 5-10 minutes

3.      Put pork and marinade in cold pot and bring to boil. Cook until pork is cooked.

4.      Reserve pork and marinade in separate bowl

5.      Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil until garlic is browned and onion is transparent.

6.      Re introduce pork, strained from juices & cook

7.      Add marinade back with peas and carrots and bring back to a simmer for 5-10 minutes

8.      Add chick peas, tomato sauce, hot dogs, raisins, brown sugar, and peppers. Mix well and let simmer until peppers are tender

9.      Gently add cooked potatoes and stir.

Serve with White Rice                                                     Yield: 6 servings

Just some FYI's - You can probably use any type of hot dogs... the "bright leaf red hot dogs" are my "Mama"'s favorite.  Toyomansi is available in oriental markets, but if you don't want to buy it (it comes in a pretty big bottle) you can PROBABLY substitute some lemon juice with your regular soy-sauce. TheFilipino's use toyomansi on a lot of things as an "added" soy sauce. For instance, they don't COOK Pancit with it, but they do add some right when they eat it, like we'd add soy sauce to chinese food, or lemon juice to sea food.