Menudo Recipe, My Style

Here is how I am cooking Menudo, my style. I found a way to make the meat tastier thru my friend Cielita Cruzada-B. and some other tips I learned as years go by...

Ingredients:

½ pork Menudo cut

1/8 pork liver

a can of liver spread (Reno)

1 big red bell pepper (canned pepper - Omor  drained)

1 green bell pepper (sweet and crunchy adds color to the dish too)

a medium onion

garlic

EVO oil or Canola Oil (any kind of oil will do except for Sesame)

3 tbsps. tomato paste

1 pouch del monte tomato sauce

potatoes

carrots

Optional Ingredients:

Hotdog

Green peas (cooked/canned)

Raisins seedless (SUNMAID brand is seedless)

Dried Oregano Herb (McCormick brand has it)

Marinate the pork and liver separately in light soy sauce (Datu Puti brand is an example) and ground black pepper ; separately because liver when overcooked becomes bitter. Best to marinate it the day before you cook the entrée to be sure that the meats absorb the taste of the soy sauce.

Cooking Procedure:

1. Boil the pork meat in 3-4 cups of water (while still frozen can be better to easily soften the meat chunks), we like Menudo that melts in the mouth when chewed and the meat crumbs mixed with the sauce. When the water is reduced in half, mix-in liver spread then simmer.  Turn of the heat when the sauce is just about 1 ½ cup. Set Aside.

2. In a sauce pan, fry the potatoes first. When slightly cooked set aside. Fry the carrots too, needs a little frying.  We do this to avoid being crushed when blended in the sauce.  We need not put them lastly because it would be tastier when the sauce is absorbed by the potatoes and carrots and we can only assure that they will stay in shape when fried.

3. Saute  onion and garlic then bell pepper  - wilting the bell pepper will give the sauce its distinct flavor. Add a pinch of salt. Drain the meat from the broth (set aside) then sauté with the aromatics. Then drop tomato paste mixing with the other ingredients while sautéing.  When covered with the red color of the paste, add in the pork broth we set aside awhile ago. Add soy sauce and dried oregano. Blend well. Add in hotdog slices, potatoes and carrots and lastly the marinated liver, simmer. Add tomato sauce and raisins. If you happen to get another brand of liver spread, add more ground black pepper. Reduce heat then simmer till the sauce is thick.

Tips:

-I found out that dried oregano perks up any tomato based dishes. It adds a delicious flavor to any sauce! Try it!

-Crushing the garlic before chopping releases more of its flavor.

-Red bell pepper is tastier when wilted or cooked well.

-Adding SALT while sautéing the aromatics like garlic, onion, ginger or bell peppers intensifies flavor.

Quickmelt or ordinary cheddar cheese can also make the sauce tastier but be careful not to make your dish salty if you already put soy sauce (aside from its flavor,  SOY SAUCE also salts our Menudo better than  real salt or fish sauce), we know cheese being a bit salty.

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