Recipe: How to Make Dinuguan (Filipino Pork Blood Stew)

Dinuguan is a traditional pork blood stew very popular in the Philippines and commonly served with steamed rice cake called "Puto" - no relation to the Spanish swear word which ellicits stares of shock when mentioned.  Anyway, the dish is spicy, salty, meaty and GOOD!  Mike used to hate Dinuguan especially since I first cooked it because it is unfamiliar to the Western palate.  But when I taught him how to make it, and  now knowing the procedure and having tasted his concoction, he has never stopped loving it ever since.

Notes: There are many versions of the Dinuguan depending on what region the Philippines one comes from.  Recently, I have the opportunity to visit Anvaya Cove in Bataan and I noted that their stew has a bit of a sweetness to it.  This reminds me of the traditional Philippine cigarrettes named "Bataan" being sold in Manila during my childhood years.  With the advent of US cigarrettes especially Phillip Morris and More, both brands considered to be luxury compared to Marlboro and Champion which are considered better than the local La Yebana and Bataan; the latter cigarrettes just died their natural death.  Anyway, on their labels is the moniker, "Matamis" meaning 'sweet' in Tagalog.  So cigarrettes being sweet? The Bataan style of Dinuguan is an explanation perhaps.

But in the Bicol region is the concoction mixed with coconut milk in the blood prior to to its addition, making the dish having an aromatic coconut flavor.  My father prefers it this way but I consider it overdone.  I loved it as a child, but now I just prefer it plain, a bit more on the sour side, reminiscent of the Adobo.  I believe Pampaguenos prefer theirs on the sour side, the Tagalogs on the soupy thin side.  I am partial to both styles combined.  So here goes.

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon freshly groundblack pepper (Yes - it is one tablespoon - will explain later)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 kilo pork shoulder, cut into cubes (traditional way in the Philippines involves various cuts of meat that include hearts, pork cheeks, ears, sometimes even chitlins or cleaned pork intentines)
• Salt to taste.
• 2 laurel leaves
• 1 cup of blood, sources may be pork, chicken or beef.
• Some water to tenderize the meat (about a cup)
• 2 cups of water (separate from the above)
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar or coconut vinegar. For a slightly more sour dish which helps to remove the gaminess of the meat, use about 3/4 cup.  This is dependent on your taste.
• 1 piece of  green chili

Procedure:

1. In a deep stewing pot, saute in approximately 1/8 cup of hot oil both garlic and ground black pepper until the garlic is brown and the black pepper is fragrant and mixing well with the oil.
2. Saute next the onion until a bit cooked and transluscent.
3. Add the pork and saute well.  Lower the heat and cover for about a minute or two.
4. Open the pot, add some water to boil and tenderize the meat.  Add the laurel leaves. Leave covered in medium heat. This may take about an hour.  But one can tell that the meat is done when it is tender to the bite.
5. In a separate bowl, mix well the vinegar, the two cups of water and vinegar.
6. When the meat is ready, uncover the pot and in high heat with the mixture vigorously boiling, add slowly, while stirring the stew, the blood-water-vinegar mixture.  Take care that the blood cooks well each time it is added.  This is important!
7. Once all the blood is incorporated in the stew, add the green chilli and cover the pot. Leave it to simmer with occasional stirring to prevent the stew from burning.  Reduce to desired thickness and the green chilli's fragrance is in the stew and the vinegar is "cooked".
8. Serve with steamed rice cake (Puto) or steamed rice.

Tips:

• During the sauteing process, use high heat to release the oils of the freshly ground pepper. This will help remove the gaminess of the meats and the "bloody" odors of...blood (what else).
• A good way to satrt the sauteing is the use of pork fat.  Get some pork fat cut in small cubes, starting with medium heat, saute lightly until the fat turns to cracklings and the oil is extracted. In Philippine cuilimary parlance, this is known as nagtsitsitsaron (from "chicharron" or Pork Skin Cracklings in Spanish).
• Never skip on the use of laurel leaves.  It imparts an aroma that is helpful in removing gaminess.
• When adding the blood-vinegar-water mixture in the pot, it is important that the stew is boiling vigorously!  Also, stir well as the blood mixture is being added.  This prevents the blood cells from congealing during the cooking process preventing a gritty feel on the tongue.  It achieves a smooth stew.
• You may adjust the vinegar during the stewing.  Add more to your desired taste.  There is a saying in Philippine cuisine, "hanggang sa maluto ang suka". Literally translated, "until the vinegar is cooked" - what this means is that the vinegar needs to degenerate by the heat of the cooking process.  By leaving it to stew, the vinegar becomes gentler, less acid and more pleasant to the palate.
• If the Bicolano version is desired, one can substitute 1 cup of water in the blood-vinegar mixture with 1 cup of coconut milk.  Thus, the proportions will be 1 cup coconut milk, 1 cup water, 1 cup blood and 1/2 cup vinegar.

I hope you enjoy making Dinugan (and eating it) as much as Mike and I demonstrated it in the cooking video.