How To Cook Dinuguan

Dinuguan is a popular Filipino pork blood stew and is made from sliced pork pieces, fresh pork blood, vinegar, minced onion, garlic, bay leaves, and seasoned with green chili and pepper. It is a thick and black stew made with pig’s blood which is grainy in the mouthfeel. It has a mild meaty and savoury flavour with a hint of sour note. You can enjoy it with your favorite white puto, or with hot steaming rice. Try this Dinuguan recipe today!

DINUGUAN

Dinuguan is one of the weirdest and the best ulam I can say. I can still remember the excitement on having dinuguan after the “katayan ng baboy” for lechon during our town’s fiesta. The whole pig is prepared and the innards are the ones used in cooking dinuguan.

Now, I prefer dinuguan using pork meat instead of innards. Moreover, pork meat is more readily available and requires quicker preparation than innards. I really like choosing fatty meat cuts for dinuguan so my dish would really be enticing to the eyes. As they say, “nagmamantikang” dishes are the best ones.

I usually enjoy my pork dinuguan with different carbohydrate sources. Of course, dinuguan with rice is at the top rank. I also enjoy them with puto and other breads. During fiestas, I pour the sauce over pancit guisado (I seriously recommend this one!). This last one might be weird but I sometimes dip my fries into the dinuguan sauce.

All in all, dinuguan is one of the best dishes in the country which you could easily add in combo with other food. If you want to try making your first dinuguan, simply follow the recipe below.

PIG’S BLOOD

Since we are making pork blood stew, pig blood would be our defining ingredient in this dish. In this case, you will be needing the liquid pig blood, best if they are freshly harvested. Most of the pork blood you can find at the market are already solidified and in blocks, and there are only some special meat shops which sells fresh liquid blood. All markets have them, just simply ask them for the newly delivered ones.

Here are some few reminders on what to do after buying the fresh pig’s blood:

• If you can cook the dinuguan dish as you got home, it is best to use them right away.
• Do not refrigerate the blood because it will solidify and turn into a block.
• Some people add water or vinegar to the blood to help slow its solidification.
• No matter how curious you are, do not taste raw pig blood. Many have been diagnosed with meningitis because of doing so.

HOW TO COOK DINUGUAN

Dinuguan is always present at karinderyas, so people always assume that it is back-breaking to make. But seriously, if you got the right ingredients, simply follow the steps below and you’re good.

To start, simply saute the aromatics and the pork. Next, pour some vinegar, bay leaves and water. Adding the vinegar is believed to release the “lansa” and smell of the pork blood. Also, it helps in stopping the pork blood in forming lumps.

When the pork is tender, lower the heat and gently pour the pork blood. It sometimes feel weird doing this because I sometimes feel like I’m a witch HAHAHA. After a while, the dark red blood will turn completely into black due to heat. The sauce will thicken as the blood cooks. Add some green chilies for some kick. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.

When I was in Laguna, I have tried a dinuguan where aside from pork, there is also mustasa leaves in there. It was unique for me but it is so good! Theres an added cruch factor to the dish. You can also try adding leafy veggies in your dinuguan, just don’t overpower the pork. 

Serve your pork blood stew in a bowl and have it with some puto pao or hot steaming rice. Enjoy!

Dinuguan Recipe (TAGALOG)

Mga Sangkap:

• 1/2 kilo ng baboy (hiniwa)
• 1/2 tasa ng suka
• 1 sibuyas (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 5 butil ng bawang (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 1 luya (hiniwa ng maliliit)
• 3 piraso ng dahon ng laurel
• 2 tasa ng tubig
• 4 piraso ng siling haba
• Asin at paminta

Paano Gawin:

1. Magpainit ng mantika at igisa ang sibuyas, bawang at luya ng ilang minuto hanggang maging light brown.
2. Ilagay ang baboy at igisa ng 15 minuto hanggang mag-iba na ang kulay.
3. Ilagay ang suka, dahon ng laurel at tubig. Wag muna itong haluin. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan itong kumulo ng kalahating oras.
4. Sunod na ilagay ang dugo ng baboy. Pahinaan ang apoy. Haluin ng dahan-dahan at tuloy-tuloy hanggang lumapot ang sauce at para hindi magkaroon ng lumps.
5. Kapag malapot na ang sabaw, ilagay ang siling haba. Budburan ng asin at paminta.
6. Haluin lang ito at hayaang maluto ng 5 minuto bago patayin ang apoy.
7. Ilipat ang dinuguan sa serving bowl. Ihain ito kasama ng puto o mainit na kanin. Enjoy!