As I came back for seconds, thirds, and fourths, my father-n-law and his brothers and cousins chuckled and laughed and asked ‘You like that?, Do you know what is in there?”. I had no idea what was in there and was hesitant to proceed in finding the answer. As a cook, I wanted to know. I found out that it was made primarly of pig parts including the ear, tongue, brain, heart, and liver. I must admit that I did get a small sign of nauseousness, however I quickly wiped the image of ears and brain from my mind. What I really enjoyed was the overall flavor of sisig. It packed a punch with ginger, garlic, vinegar, peppers, and lemon juice. It was truly a delight in my mouth, something I compared to the flavors of a thai larb salad.
I informed my Filipino elders that I would go back and reinvent sisig, and that I did. I was able to invite some local Filipinos over for my Friday Fish Fry last night, and as an appetizer, I served the sisig with cold beer. Both Sonny, Jen, and Mark said the flavor was spot on, and nearly ate the entire plate of sisig!
Ingredients:
- Pork Roast with fat; marinated with a bit of soy sauce, salt and pepper
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 cup of water
- Juice of one lime
- Half of a large onion, minced
- 2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 4 thai peppers, minced
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
- 3 tbs vinegar
- 1 glove of garlic, minced
To prepare the pork, I simply heated a large pot and added the olive oil. Keep in mind that when I sliced the pork roast, I kept some of the fat from the top of the roast to help with the texture that would replace the ears, snout, and other pig items. I then seared each side, and added a cup of water and slow cooked the pork for roughly 45 minutes. Once the pork was cooked, I removed it from the pot and set aside to let cool. In the meantime, in a bowl, I added the lime juice, garlic, ginger, vinegar, peppers, onion, and pepper. Once the pork is cooled, chop into very small pieces and mix into the bowl. I recommend you let this salad marinate overnight, or at least four hours. The outcome is a reinvented salad that packs a punch with fresh flavors. To my Filipino elders, thank you for the authentic sisig!