Labanos Kilawin (Radish Saute)

Okies, before anything else, I would like to apologize for not being able to update the blog for i think more than a week now. Life had just taken over and I didn't have time alone to write my posts. I however have been updating my drafts to write titles of the dishes I have prepared that I think would merit some time from you readers... just so I wouldn't forget. Like this dish for example. I have been meaning to prepare this for the longest time and will definitely not pass up the chance to write about it once the opportunity comes. The ingredients have been frozen in the ref for months now, and I made sure not to touch them until I remember to buy some labanos or white radish from the supermarket. A few times I remembered to look for it but is always not available. It was this one time only that I was also going to cook sinigang that I remembered to get one of this. For those of you here in Qatar, you would know that radishes sold in the supermarkets are not exactly like the ones we get from the Philippines. Here they are just so big that you woudn't really include the entire thing in just one cooking, unless of course you're planning to feed at least 10 people.
So, for this dish I had used half of the radish left over from the sinigang and the left over pork offal I had been using for my dinuguan and bopis... ooops! that's another dish I should remember to take a photo of, the dinuguan. I'm sure most of you are intrigued with this dish made of pork blood! Ok, ok... so I admit another half of the world would say yuck! But if only they would give it a chance, they'll know why we also love the dish.
Now to go back to the Labanos Kilawin, this is nothing like my Tuna Kilawin I have posted here, that other one is a raw dish and not really eaten as a viand for rice, but more so as "pulutan" for finger food with your favorite alcoholic drink. the Tuna Kilawin I would say is a "man-dish", I mean, I observed that the raw kilawin is not really very popular among the female population :). On the other hand this Labanos Kilawin is cooked food, though still with a bit of a "ngyaiks" factor as it uses pork offal, but to address that, you can just use ordinary meat cuts as an alternative --- although I must say, it wouldn't be as good :)
This is a very simple saute dish and surely any beginner cook can easily make, I would like to note however to go easy on the vinegar and sugar, because the secret to this dish is perfect blend between these two ingredients to diffuse the odor and slight bitter taste of the radish. My tip is that you gradually add in this two ingredients a little at a time and not pour them all at once. Also, make sure that once you are done sauteing and in stage of simmering the sauce, you adjust your cooking to very low heat and not touch it at that stage. If you really feel like stirring, just shake the pan a bit instead :).
If using pork offal, it is best to pre-cook them after cleaning thoroughly to remove any odor left on the meat. Also to ensure that we have done away with whatever remaining microorganisms still lurking in there after cleaning. :) 
Ingredients:
2 cups Labanos (white radish), sliced
1 cup pre-cooked pork offal (or alternatively use other cuts of pork or beef), diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbs cooking oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup water
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Method:
Heat oil in a sauce pan then add the garlic. Cook until soft and lightly browned then add the onions. Continue cooking until onions are soft and translucent.
Add the precooked and diced offal. Saute for about 5 minutes then add the radish. Continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes until radish are soft. 
Add a pinch of salt and pepper and half of the water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add half of the vinegar and sugar. Do not stir. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove cover and taste to check if you have already achieved desired blend of flavors. Adjust consistency of sauce by adding more water until desired consistency is achieved. 
Check taste again, adjust by adding vinegar, salt or sugar accordingly. Again, do this in small amounts to avoid overpowering any one of these ingredients.
Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes then turn off heat.
Uncover and transfer into a serving plate. Serve with hot rice and fried fish. Enjoy! 




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