This week Ruel and Anniebelle Vergel de Dios from the Philippines show us how to make pork menudo.
Anniebelle and Ruel Vergel de Dios from the Philippines came to Dunedin two years ago with their two young children. Anniebelle has a job teaching at the Montessori school and Ruel, whose background is in IT, is a kitchenhand. He learned to cook as a teenager from his father, who loved cooking, and now he usually does the cooking at home.
Filipino cuisine has been influenced by Spain, Mexico, Malay and China, but the dishes are not necessarily hot and spicy. There are many different regional styles.
Pork menudo
500g pork cut into cubes
¼ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon or calamansi juice
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small tomato, diced
1 large carrot, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
1 red pepper, cut into cubes
50g raisins
200g tomato puree
½ cup water
salt and pepper to taste
To serve: steamed rice
Cut the pork into cubes and mix with soy sauce and lemon juice. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.
Heat a pan, add the oil, and when it sizzles, stir in the onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and tomato and cook a little longer. Add pork pieces and cook until the pork changes colour.
When the pork is coloured, add carrot and potato and cook for a few minutes, stirring, then add water and tomato puree. Simmer uncovered about five minutes.
Stir in red capsicum and raisins and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over steamed rice.
Tips:
• In the Philippines pork belly is used and pork liver is usually included, making up about a quarter the amount of the cut, but Anniebelle says it's not popular in New Zealand.
• Calamansi is a sour citrus fruit with a sweet skin native to the Philippines.
• You can can add green pepper or green peas for colour if you like.
• Chickpeas are often included in this dish as well.
• Some recipes for menudo call for "tomato sauce" which is what we call tomato puree, although it is not as sweet as tomato puree available here. What we call "tomato sauce", they call "tomato ketchup".
• Thanks to Afife Harris and Havoc Pork
- Camera: Gregor Richardson
- Editing: Peter Dowden
