Dish of Philippine Menudo
(click to enlarge)

Philippine Menudo


Philippine   -   Menudo
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4-3/4 #
***
Steps
Yes		 A popular and very tasty stew - Philippine-Spanish-American fusion cuisine, It's sure to surprise the uninitiated, especially made with SPAM. See also Comments.

1-1/2
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1/3
1
1/2
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3
5
1
3
6
1
2
15
ar
1
ar
2
1
1/2
1/2
#
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c
T
t
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oz
#
oz
oz
cl
oz
oz

T


T
T
t
SPAM or Pork (1)  
-- Marinade
Soy Sauce
Lemon Juice
Pepper. black
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Hot Dogs (2)
Liver (3)
Potatoes (4)
Carrot
Onion
Garlic
Celery
Tomato Sauce (5)
Options (6)
Oil
Broth (7)
Bay Leaves
Fish Sauce (opt 8)
Salt
Pepper
Prep   -   (1-1/4 hrs - 40 min work)
  1. Cut SPAM or PORK into about 1/2 inch cubes. Mix with all Marinade items and let marinate for at least an hour.
  2. Slice HOT DOGS about 1/4 inch thick. Cut LIVER into about 1/2 inch chunks. Mix.
  3. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes. Peel CARROTS and slice crosswise about 1/4 inch. Mix and place in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until Potatoes are just cooked through. Drain and set aside. This will prevent acid in the Tomato Sauce from hardening the surface of the Potatoes.
  4. Dice ONION about 1/4 inch. Crush GARLIC and chop small. trim CELERY and cut into about 1/4 inch dice. Mix all.
  5. Prepare any Options as needed.
Run   -   (35 min (SPAM) / 1-1/2 hrs (Pork))
  1. In a spacious sauté pan heat Oil. Drain SPAM or PORK and stir in. Tumble often until lightly browned. This will take longer with Pork than with SPAM. If the fond sticking to the pan is getting too dark, go to the next step immediately.
  2. Stir in Onion mix, stirring until Onion is translucent.
  3. Stir in Bay Leaves, Tomato Sauce, and Broth as needed. Bring to a boil, IF SPAM simmer for about 15 minutes. IF Pork, simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Check liquid now and then, it must not dry.
  4. When sufficiently cooked, Stir in Potato mix, Hot Dog mix, Salt, Pepper, Fish Sauce, and any Options. Bring back to a simmer for 3 minutes or so.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of Jasmine (Milagrosa) Rice.
NOTES:

  1. SPAM® or Pork:

      In the Philippines, SPAM is quite popular in this recipe. SPAM will fry brown and cook much faster than Pork because it's already cooked. If you use Pork, use 2 pounds as it will shrink more. Spam is a popular ingredient in the Philippines, Japan, and Korea. For details see our Pork Products page.

  2. Hot Dogs:

      Technically, these should be Philippine Hot Dogs which are dyed bright red, but the photo example was made with regular American Hot Dogs.

  3. Liver:

      Pork Liver is traditional, but Chicken Livers are often used as they are more conveniently available and stay more tender in cooking.

  4. Potatoes:

      Many Philippine recipes pan fry the Potatoes and Carrots lightly brown so they hold together better, but they use Baking Potatoes. White Rose or Red Potatoes hold together just fine without frying, and I've never seen a problem with Carrots in stews. Do avoid "Yukon Gold" type potatoes as they turn to mush if cooked just a little longer than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  5. Tomato Sauce:

      This should be a very simple tomato sauce. I use 2 8oz cans of my favorite, Faraon Spanish Style, but other simple sauces will also work.

  6. Options, Common:

      Raisins 1/3 c if you want a sweeter stew. Frozen Peas, cooked Garbanzo Beans, and small squares of Bell Pepper are often included.

  7. Broth

      How much you need depends on whether you're using SPAM or Pork, which needs much longer cooking. The stew should end up with a fairly liquid sauce, so you'll probably need at least a cup. Just about any broth can be used, and many recipes just use bouillon cubes or powders with water.

  8. Fish Sauce:

      (optional)   This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisines as it was to Imperial Rome, and is now used in parts of West Africa. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce Introduction page.

  9. Comments:

      There are many minor variations to this stew, but what makes it "Menudo" is a tomato stew based on Pork (or SPAM), Liver, and Potatoes, with everything cut quite small. Philippine tomato stews by other names are cut larger and may be based on Beef, Pork, Chicken, or a mix, and don't include liver. We also have a simpler recipe based on one from a Philippine cookbook ( Pork with Liver). Here we have a more modern version distilled from a dozen on-line recipes.
  10. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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