Pork Menudo

We were pleasantly surprised when an uncle came back from vacation two weeks ago. Another aunt had kindly sent us a package of pork, menudo-cut. To those of you who are not from these parts of the world, pork packages are quite common here in Qatar, actually. Although they are now starting to sell pork at QDC, most people do not have access to the shop anyway, so having pork in your refrigerator is quite a privilege. And so, the following weekend I decided to cook the pork, mainly because we were not able to go food shopping and we don't have anything else to cook :)
Pork Menudo is quite a common dish in the Philippines, apart from Afritada, it is one of the easiest pork stew recipe to make at home. It is also a popular dish during Fiesta or other occasions. Personally though, I would opt for the Afritada anytime, since Menudo includes other ingredients I don't particularly go for with my dishes, like the hotdog and the raisins. Of course you may say you can strike them out anytime, but taking them out defeats the distinct taste it provides to the dish.

For this dish, since we do not have pork liver, I have included liver spread instead to achieve the thickness to the sauce that liver gives to the dish. But of course, had liver been available, I would not have second thoughts using it instead of the spread. I soooo love pork liver! 


Ingredients:
1kg pork, menudo cut
2 hotdogs, sliced
1 potato, diced (2cm cubes)
1 carrot, diced (2 cm cubes)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tbs raisins
1 tbs liver spread (optional, in the absence of pork liver)
1 tbs cooking oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 cups water


Method:
Parbroil the pork in a little water, simmer until all of the water evaporates then add the oil. Saute for about two minutes.
Add the onions, saute until onions are soft then add the garlic. Toss a few times then lower the heat. 
Add the potatoes and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes, while tossing a few times. 
Pour in the soy sauce and tomato sauce. Saute until both sauces fully coat the meat. Add half a cup of water and cover. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, checking from time to time if the sauce is drying up, in which case add half a cup of the remaining water each time.
Stir in the liver spread, raisins and hotdogs. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. 
Add the bell pepper. Simmer for another few minutes until desired consistency of sauce is achieved. If the sauce is too thick add a little more water and taste test again. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
Transfer into a serving bowl and serve with steaming hot rice. Enjoy!




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