Ingredients
Pork
- 1pig’s head half, or 800 g pork jowl, ears and snout
- or 1 kg pork belly, as the easier version
To boil
- 3 litreswater
- 1onion
- 1 headgarlic
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tbsppeppercorns
- 2 tbspsalt
Liver
- 250 gchicken liver
The mix
- 3onions, finely chopped
- 6chillies, siling labuyo, chopped
- 6 clovesgarlic
- 100 mlcalamansi juice, or lime
- 3 tbspsoy sauce
- 2 tbspvinegar
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 3 tbspbutter or margarine
Optional
- 3 tbspmayonnaise, in the modern style
- 1egg, cracked on at the table
- chicharon, crushed
To serve
- a cast iron sizzling plate
- rice
- and beer
Directions
- Boil it until the meat is tender enough to pull from the bone but not falling apart, because it still has to be grilled and chopped.
- Skim the surface of the pot as it cooks. Lift it out and let it cool completely, then pick the meat, skin, ears and snout off the bone. Cool it fully before the next stage, which also makes it far easier to handle.
- Grill the boiled pieces over charcoal until the skin is blistered, charred in patches and crisp at the edges. It takes 10 to 15 minutes and it should smell smoky. Grill the chicken livers at the same time until just cooked through. Do not overcook the livers, which go dry and chalky, and take them off while they are still pink inside.
- Chop the pork and liver finely with a heavy knife, into pieces of about 5 mm. Chop it by hand rather than mincing it. Sisig should be a mixture of small distinct pieces with varied texture, and a mincer turns it to paste.
- Mix the chopped pork and liver with the onion, garlic, chilli, calamansi, soy sauce, vinegar and pepper. Taste it and get the balance right: it should be sour first, then salty, then hot. The sourness is what the word sisig originally meant, so do not be shy with the calamansi.
- Melt the butter on the plate and tip the mixture on. Press it down and let it sit for a minute so the underside crisps, then toss it. Let it catch and crisp on the plate rather than stirring constantly. Serve it immediately, still sizzling, carried to the table on a wooden board.
- Crack a raw egg over it at the table if you want, and stir it through the hot mixture so it cooks. Anyone avoiding raw or lightly cooked egg should skip that, and the dish is complete without it.
Technique
- Pork belly and jowl make a far easier version and are what most home cooks use.
- Aling Lucing’s restaurant in Angeles City is regarded as the origin of the modern dish.
- Angeles City holds a sisig festival.
Substitutions
- Pork belly and jowl in place of a whole head.
- Lime in place of calamansi, which is close.
Variations
- Made with pork belly, which is much simpler.
- With mayonnaise, in the Manila style.
- Bangus sisig, made with milkfish.
History
Chopped pig’s head and liver on a sizzling plate, developed in Angeles City by Lucia Cunanan in the 1970s using surplus pork heads from Clark air base.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sisig?
Sisig is a main from Philippines: sizzling chopped pork face and chicken liver with calamansi and chili. Chopped pig’s head and liver on a sizzling plate, developed in Angeles City by Lucia Cunanan in the 1970s using surplus pork heads from Clark air base.
How long does Sisig take to make?
Sisig takes 1 hr of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Sisig?
Yes, within limits. Pork belly and jowl in place of a whole head. Lime in place of calamansi, which is close.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sisig?
Grill the boiled pieces over charcoal until the skin is blistered, charred in patches and crisp at the edges. It takes 10 to 15 minutes and it should smell smoky. Grill the chicken livers at the same time until just cooked through. Do not overcook the livers, which go dry and chalky, and take them off while they are still pink inside.
