As a young girl, I watched my grandmothers and aunts prepare this dish for the annual fiesta in Angeles City, held in the month of October. Preparation took overnight as the pork was marinated, and the veggies were cut and sliced, ready for cooking early the following morning, on the day of the fiesta.
The last time I made this, my daughter asked "No hotdog?" I said "No, I do not add hotdog in my Menudo." While others do, and swear by the flavor it adds to the dish, I did not grow up eating Menudo with slices of hotdog. Maybe I will try it one day. Until then, enjoy the Menudo from my childhood.
Pardon, I had to use lemon. Calamansi is the citrus fruit of choice, of course, but its in scarcity from where I am now.
INGREDIENTS
1.5 pounds pork shoulder, cubed
0.5 pounds pork liver, cubed
1 fresh lemon, juiced
1/3 cup soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 medium size carrot, cubed (and fried ahead if you wish)
1 potato, cubed (and fried ahead if you wish)
2 bay leaves
1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce
¼ cup raisins
Salt and ground black pepper for seasoning
Cooking oil for sautéing
MARINATE THE PORK
Place pork pieces in a bowl and pour lemon juice and soy sauce. Marinate the pork and set aside in the fridge for at least an hour.
When ready to cook---
INSTRUCTIONS
In a pan, sauté garlic and onions in oil on medium heat.
Once onions are tender, add the marinated pork into the pan, including the marinade.
Add the bay leaves. Stir and let gently simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Pour tomato sauce into the pan and mix, making sure ingredients are well combined. Let simmer until pork is tender (20 to 30 minutes or so, depending on the quality of the meat), now using low to medium heat.
Once pork is about to reach your desired tenderness, add the carrot and potato (if not pre-cooked/fried).
Add the pork liver, stir, and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Toss the fried carrots, potatoes and raisins into the pan and mix until well incorporated into the dish. The raisins will add sweetness to the dish to balance the flavors (others add sugar instead).
Season with salt and ground black pepper and stir.
Turn off heat.
Serve. Best eaten when served with steamed white rice or used as a filling for sandwich using pandesal.