Sinuglaw
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As the weather gets warmer on the east coast, and Memorial Day is days away, grilling Sinuglaw came to mind. My version of this Filipino appetizer is pure pork.
Sinuglaw is coined from two Filipino food terms: Sinugba, which in the Visayas means ‘to grill’, and kinilaw, which is the Philippine version of ceviche, or to soak sashimi-grade tuna in vinegar. Thus, a regular sinuglaw appetizer consists of both pork and fish slices, soaking in the vinaigrette. But my version today is all-pork. I didn’t have time to go out and buy tuna to add to this recipe. Enjoying an all-meat Sinuglaw was a treat, though. The grilled pork belly in its initial stages is basically inihaw na baboy or liempo. Calamansi and patis are used to marinate the meat. The addition of chilies later after grilling gives you the spicy notes when you least expect it.
We only turn on our outdoor grill after the winter for safety reasons. As I watched the pork slabs sear and sizzle on the grill, the combined aromas of the citrusy and salty marinade floated around, far enough for our next door neighbors to be enticed, I am certain. It’s been nice to be outdoors on a pleasant spring day. I was grateful for the news that here in the USA, Covid19 cases are dropping, and mask mandates are lifting. But epidemiologists warn that we’ll only be in the clear when 70% of Americans are vaccinated. Please consider that if you haven’t gone for your dose yet.
Meanwhile, let’s enjoy a beautiful weekend. Time to go outside and work the grill for some tender, juicy, slightly spicy, smoky, and savory Sinuglaw.
Sinuglaw
Equipment
- Grill - outdoor or indoor
Ingredients
For pork marinade:
- 2 pounds pork belly; keep piece whole for grilling;
- 2 Tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tablespoons calamansi juice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For vinaigrette:
- 1 whole red onion, chopped
- 1 knob (1-inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thin
- 1 cup coconut vinegar;; or use white
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon calamansi juice
- 1 to 2 pieces siling labuyo (bird's eye chilies), sliced
- 1 whole small red bell pepper, sliced; for garnish
- 1 stalk scallions, sliced; for garnish
Instructions
To marinate the pork:
- In a bowl, marinate the pork belly with the patis, garlic, calamansi juice and black pepper. Massage the pork with your hands to incorporate the flavors.Keep covered in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour.
To grill pork:
- Preheat the outdoor grill to a medium high. Grease the grates with grilling spray.Place the slabs of pork over the grill. Grill for about 15 minutes till pork is completely done.Turn pork pieces over for even grilling.When pork is cooked, remove from grill and place on a chopping board.Slice pork into 3/4-inch thin pieces. Place pork in a serving bowl.
To assemble the Sinuglaw:
- Prepare the vinaigrette. In a bowl, combine the red onion, ginger, vinegar, sugar and calamansi juice. Add the chilies. Stir and mix.Pour the vinaigrette over the pork pieces in the bowl.Garnish with red pepper slices and scallions,, and additional chilies if desired. Serve warm as an appetizer.
Cook's comments:
- The classic Filipino Sinuglaw recipe usually consists of grilled pork belly and sashimi-grade tuna, cut into small cubes. My version here is the all-pork appetizer. If calamansi juice is not available, use lemon.Adjust the level of spice according to your personal preference. You can omit the bird's eye chilies if you like.You can also grill the pork in an indoor grill, and the results are just as superb.
Copyright Notice
- Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided in the recipe links is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE Asian in America recipes on this blog, my original recipes, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC by Elizabeth Ann Quirino. 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
Notes on Nutrition: The nutrition information provided in the recipe links is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.
Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE Asian in America recipes on this blog, my original recipes, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC by Elizabeth Ann Quirino. 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]
