Batchoy

Ingredients

Broth

• 1 kgpork bones
• 500 gpork shoulder, whole
• 300 gbeef shank (optional)
• 3 litreswater
• 1onion, halved
• 1thumb ginger, bruised
• 2 tbspshrimp paste (guinamos), or 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspwhole peppercorns

Offal

• 200 gpork liver, sliced thin
• 200 gpork kidney or intestine, cleaned thoroughly
• 1 tbspvinegar, for cleaning

To serve

• 400 gfresh miki noodles
• 6 clovesgarlic, sliced and fried crisp
• 80 gchicharon (pork crackling), crushed
• 4spring onions, sliced
• 4raw eggs (optional)

Directions

1. Simmer the bones, pork shoulder, beef, onion, ginger and peppercorns in the water for 2 hours, skimming the scum off carefully in the first twenty minutes. A clean skim is what gives La Paz batchoy its clear, deep broth.
2. Lift out the pork and beef, cool and slice thinly. Strain the broth and return it to the pot.
3. Clean the kidney or intestine thoroughly: rub with the vinegar and salt, rinse repeatedly under running water until there is no smell at all, then blanch 5 minutes and rinse again. Offal that has not been cleaned properly will taint the whole bowl.
4. Simmer the cleaned offal in the broth for 30 minutes until tender, then slice.
5. Season the broth with the shrimp paste and salt. Guinamos is what gives batchoy its particular funk and it should be assertive.
6. Blanch the liver in the simmering broth for 30 seconds only, then remove. Liver turns grainy almost immediately and it is the element most often overcooked.
7. Cook the miki noodles briefly in boiling water, drain and divide between bowls.
8. Top with the sliced pork, beef, offal and liver, ladle over the very hot broth, and finish with fried garlic, crushed chicharon and spring onion. Crack a raw egg into the bowl if you want it, and let the hot broth cook it.

Technique

• Fried garlic and chicharon go on at the table, not earlier. Both go soft in seconds once wet.
• The broth must be scalding when it hits the bowl, especially if you are adding a raw egg.
• Shrimp paste, not just salt. Without it this is a plain pork noodle soup.

Substitutions

• Fish sauce in place of guinamos, though the flavour is cleaner and less complex.
• Leave out the offal entirely for a simpler bowl.

Variations

• La Paz batchoy from Iloilo, the original and the benchmark.
• A version with a scoop of bone marrow added to each bowl.

History

Created in the La Paz market of Iloilo City in the 1930s, and still named La Paz batchoy after the district.

Frequently asked questions

What is Batchoy?

Batchoy is a soup & stew from Philippines: pork offal and noodle soup topped with crushed chicharon and fried garlic. Created in the La Paz market of Iloilo City in the 1930s, and still named La Paz batchoy after the district.

How long does Batchoy take to make?

Batchoy takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Batchoy?

Yes, within limits. Fish sauce in place of guinamos, though the flavour is cleaner and less complex. Leave out the offal entirely for a simpler bowl.

What is the most important thing to get right in Batchoy?

Clean the kidney or intestine thoroughly: rub with the vinegar and salt, rinse repeatedly under running water until there is no smell at all, then blanch 5 minutes and rinse again. Offal that has not been cleaned properly will taint the whole bowl.