Pork sisig
Sisig Kapampangan: chopped grilled pork with onion, chilli and calamansi, sizzled on a hot plate
Sisig comes from Angeles City in Pampanga, where cooks turned pig's head and ears into a sizzling, sour, peppery bar snack that is now on almost every Filipino menu. This home version is pork, using pork belly (and pig's ears if your butcher has them) that is boiled, grilled until charred, then chopped finely and fried with onion, chilli and calamansi juice. It arrives at the table crackling on a hot cast-iron plate, often with a raw egg stirred in. Eat it with rice, or as pulutan with drinks; a cold calamansi juice works as well. Chef's tip: chop the pork small but not to mince; you want little crisp edges and chewy bits in every spoonful.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pork
For the sizzle
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Simmer 1 ½ lb skin-on pork belly and 10 ½ oz pig's ears in 8 ¼ cups water with 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp black peppercorns and 1 tsp salt for 50–60 minutes, until a skewer goes in easily.
60 minStep 2: Drain and pat dry. Grill on a very hot griddle pan or barbecue, or under a hot grill, for 6–8 minutes a side until charred and crisp in places, and at least 160°F in the centre.
15 minStep 3: Cool for 5 minutes, then chop everything into 5 mm pieces on a clean board.
10 minStep 4: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. If using 4 oz chicken livers, fry it for 4–5 minutes until browned, firm and no longer pink inside (165°F), then mash it into a paste with a fork.
5 minStep 5: Add 1 red onions, 4 cloves garlic and 2 bird's-eye chillies and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chopped pork and fry, pressing it down, for 5 minutes until the edges crisp.
7 minStep 6: Stir in 2 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp calamansi or lime juice and 1 tsp black pepper. Taste: it should be sour, salty and peppery. A common mistake is drowning it in sauce; it should stay crisp, not wet. Stir in 2 tbsp mayonnaise for the creamier modern style if you like.
2 minStep 7: Heat a cast-iron plate or the pan until very hot, pile on the sisig and scatter with the rest of the 1 red onions and 2 bird's-eye chillies. Crack 1 egg on top and stir it through at the table so the heat of the pork cooks it; if you need eggs fully cooked, fry it separately until set instead. Serve with 4 calamansi or lime wedges.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 53 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pork sisig take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
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