Pork Higado
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To many like me, a modern version of Pork Higado is a tangy meat dish cooked with onions, chicken livers in a sauce of vinegar, a few drops of soy sauce and plenty of garlic. Sometimes pronounced Igado, it is easier to cook than it looks. The generous amount of sauce, tender pork strips make the tart-tasting higado ideal to pair with a bowl of steamed white rice. Higado is Spanish for liver. My version has pork tenderloin slices, pan seared with chicken liver. In my childhood in Tarlac, my mother cooked this often, and the sharp aromas of garlic come back to me when I think of those times.
In commemoration of the late Philippine President Elpidio Quirino’s death anniversary last week, I rekindled my knowledge of Ilocano food and the many favorite dishes of the Quirino brothers: Ernesto, Elpidio, Eliseo, Antonio and Rosa, their sister. At a family reunion a while back, I was given a good explanation of Vigan specialties by our aunt Attorney Aleli Guzman Quirino or Tita Lila as we fondly call her.
One of these well-loved family dishes was Higado, which I tried cooking here in my American kitchen. Our aunt described higado best and called it by its original Ilocano name: Dinaldalem is higado to non-ilokanos. In Ilocos, different parts of the pig – pork loin, pork lung, pork heart, pork tampalin, pork liver and lampay (innards) – are used.
The authentic Filipino food recipes handed down from our grandparents and generations before them, are mostly the most basic and simple, but the memories of their savory flavors linger long. Naimas!
Pork Higado
Equipment
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
- 1 whole large onionm, chopped
- 2 pounds pork shoulder or tenderloin, cut in 2-inch length pieces
- 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup broth (chicken or pork)
- ½ pound chicken liver, sliced
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 pieces bay leaves
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper powder
For serving
- steamed rice
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the oil. When oil is hot enough, saute the garlic and onions.
- Add the pork slices to the saucepan. Pour the soy sauce all over the meat. Braise the pork for about 3 to 5 minutes till it turns brown.
- Pour the broth over the tenderloin. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes till pork is tender.
- Add the chicken livers. and bay leaves.Pour the vinegar over the mixture. Cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes more on medium heat.
- Season with salt and black pepper. Remove cover. Let the liquid reduce during this process till the sauce turns to a thick gravy and is nearly absorbed by the pork.Serve warm with rice.
Copyright notice:
- Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
Nutrition
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Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.
Did you like this recipe? I have more classic recipes inspired by my late mother’s cooking in my popular cookbook: My Mother’s Philippine Recipes. If you’re learning how to cook Filipino food or a fan of Philippine cuisine, buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.
Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
