Sisig Kapampangan

Dr. Michael James DELA CRUZ

The original Sisig Kapampangan, done correctly, has these three things : No mayonnaise; no fancy ingredients; and definitely no egg. Although the dish was popularized by Aling Lucing’s sisig, it is sisig Benedict that is closest to my heart. The sisig of my childhood was served in a now closed restaurant where we used to sit atop bamboo stilts, over a free flowing semi-aquarium/fish pen at its base. As kids we would watch for passing catfish or mudfish while waiting for the star of the show, our sisig. In this place the servers were all deaf-mute. The open air that let in the cool breeze of yesteryears was where sizzling sisig was first innovated. That was the sisig closest to my heart. Lets eat!

ANGELES

Sisig Kapampangan

PAN

Ingredients: pork maskara ate manuk (chicken liver) sibuyas (onions) larang anis (chili) calamunding (calamansi)

7 - 10 DIFFICULT 5 HOURS

Once the pork is cooked, let it cool. After cooling, move the pork to a grill. Over hot coals, barbeque the pork face until it develops browning and a little bit of charring (the oil dripping on the coals will cause flames to appear that will help in charring and will give a smokey taste effect-don’t panic).

Be mindful not to burn it too much. Chop the pork face into your desired sisig size. Add the chopped onions. Add the calamansi and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Add chillies. Serve on a sizzling plate.

My step by step in the process starts with cleaning the pork face and rubbing it with baking soda. This tenderizes the meat and reduces the gamey taste. Thoroughly rinse the pork face. Afterwards, boil the washed pork face in water for an hour. Add lemongrass and soy sauce into the boil.

While waiting for the pork to soften, Fry the chicken liver and mash it until it creates a spreadlike consistency. Dice the onions into about ⅛ of an inch cubes.

I am a graduate of the University of Santo Tomos Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (2005). I was second to the last in my class. During my time, I was an “urban legend” in UST, having been conferred the grade of “benemeritus” on my revalida from the tribunal headed by Dean Tan-Alora. I was the only student among the top ten to receive this honor. In my spare time, I liked playing basketball, airsoft and enjoyed taking long walks along the beach watching the sunset and the waves

Lenggua Kapampangan

Dr. Rein S. GRAN

“I was married in the ‘80s to my late wife, Ma Divinagracia. During our honeymoon, we spent a lot of time eating with our friends and relatives, especially when a lenggua was served in the buffet. This was such a popular dish during the celebration that I was left with almost nothing! One of the people partying was my cousin, Manong Geri Domingo, who was a Pangasinense, I found out that he was the one who brought the lenggua, but he underestimated the number of people who wanted to taste it. A Kapampangan by heart, he knew very well how to cook “lenggua in white mushroom sauce con setas y champignon’’ dish. It is from him that I got the recipe. “

SAN FERNANDO

Lenggua Kapampangan

PAN 3 - 5 DIFFICULT 6 HR 30 MIN

dilang baka (ox tongues, large) a can of cream of mushroom soup a small can of all purpose cream a cup dry light rum carrots fresh young yellow corn kernels fresh button mushrooms parsley olive oil laya (ginger) sibuyas (onions) bawang (garlic) asin (salt) pamintang durug (white pepper)

In a pot on top of a medium flame, boil the well-washed dilang baka and the laya at the same time. Let the meat boil for 30 minutes or more. You can determine the doneness of the meat by pinching an edge so tha, when your nails cut through, it’s time to remove it from the pot. “ You need to drain and peel away the white mucosal film and other unnecessary parts of the dilang baka. Set the softened dilang baka aside. Sauté the sibuyas in a large, heated casserole over a low flame using the olive oil, until they are transparent. Add the dilang baka, the cream of mushroom soup, around 2 cups of water, and bring them to a slight simmer. As it simmers, pour in the rum and bawang. Boil them in very low flame, occasionally stirring to prevent burning the ingredients at the bottom of the casserole. Cook until the dilang baka are perfectly tender. This will take about half a day to accomplish. You may add some water to prevent thickening of the sauce. Parsley can be sliced finely and added in the sauce during the last 30 mins of boiling.

Once done, remove the dilang baka and all the solid particles from the sauce. Further trim away all the unnecessary parts of the dilang baka. Cut the dilang baka into about 1/2 cms thick slices for serving.

The remaining sauce in the casserole will now be thickened using cream, and seasoned with some asin and pamintang durug. Heat a small amount of butter and some olive oil in a pan and cook the sliced carrots, young corn or button mushrooms for the vegetable garnish. Season with paminta and paminta to taste.

Pour the sauce mixture on the arranged slices of dilang baka on a platter, with the vegetables as garnish. This dish can be served with fried patatas (baby potatoes skinned, or mashed potatoes) , or plain white or brown rice.

I suffered from being overweight in the past. But after having some health issues I realized how important health is in our lives. One of my mantras in eating and enjoying food is that you let your food be your medicine. Aside from being a doctor and family man, one of my passions is to be a chef for my family and friends. I always enjoy explaining how everyone should eat healthy food, with an emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle.