On a warm & sunny morning

The news is a blur of bombings and shootings, I’m finding it hard to keep track which is where, let alone begin to fathom the reasons for such acts of violence. Sometimes I wonder if it is at all a sign of progress that folks now use their kitchens to make incendiary devices instead of food; after all, it is much easier to order in, or to microwave dinner.

Elsewhere, life goes on. Today I am roused by the bellow of a fishmonger’s conch. Bolináw! I race downstairs, but they’re not the right size (or, rather, they’re all kinds of sizes). Later I make a cursory round of the fish market, cognizant that the period immediately around the full moon usually finds seafood in short supply (as for the actual correlation between fish catch and this particular lunar phase, there are plenty online who say otherwise, but who am I going to believe — them, or my firsthand experience of the market?).

I amble over to Na Rosa’s — that’s my meat suki. “Why didn’t you just call?” she says. Oh, I dunno. It’s market day and pleasantly warm outside; there’s nothing on TV but death and despair and Kris Aquino; and there’s this cute new shop assistant who’s been giving me the doe eye. Then I go home with pork liver and tenderloin and a bag of unripe jackfruit pods, and I’m sorry but I just don’t have time to think about killing anyone today; can you tell I’m too busy getting food on the table, indeed a life?

Pork Igado

A favorite from a nearby carinderia that has since closed, I had never bothered knowing the name of this dish and so was surprised to learn it is supposedly an Ilocano recipe. The name probably derives from hígado, Spanish for liver. The secret to the recipe is to cook the meat and liver just so. If in doubt, undercook and make the necessary adjustment during the last stage of cooking.

• 250 grams pork tenderloin, sliced into thin strips
For the marinade:

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch


• 150 grams pork liver, sliced into ¼-inch wedges
For the marinade:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar


• 1 yellow onion, sliced into thick half-rings
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 red & 1 green bell pepper, sliced into wide strips
• 1 medium potato, sliced into ½-inch wedges
• 1 medium carrot, sliced into ½-inch medallions
• ½ cup Chinese cooking wine

For the sauce:

• 1 cup vegetable stock (or water)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dispersed in 1 tablespoon cold water

1. Marinate tenderloin and liver separately for at least 30 minutes.
2. Boil water in steamer. Add potatoes, cover, and steam. After 2 minutes, add carrots. Replace lid and cook for another 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender but not soggy. Set vegetables aside. Save a cup of the stock (add water as needed to make a cup).
3. In a casserole, heat a tablespoon of oil. Sauté onions until slightly wilted. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, then stir in bell peppers and cook for another minute. Remove spices from pan and set aside. Add a tablespoon of oil to pan and sear potatoes and onions. Remove and set aside as well.
4. In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons oil and wait until hot. Stir in sliced tenderloin, moving meat around until cooked, about 2 minutes. Add wine and flambé. As soon as the flames subside, remove meat from pan and set aside, then cook the liver in the remaining oil, 2 minutes or until the slices no longer look raw. Remove and set aside.
5. Pour reserved stock into pan and mix with oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Let come to a boil and simmer for a minute. Season to taste, thicken with cornstarch slurry, then add everything back into the pan. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.