Pulutan is Filipino for "drunk people food." Well, that's not the translation but that's the meaning. Especially in my family. I can remember lots of Filipino parties where I'd run around playing with my cousins until late at night, when I would accidentally run into the garage where the uncles are all drinking and eating food not at he rest of the party. One time, one of my uncles tried to get me to eat his version of sisig: pig intestines in vinegar with onions and calamansi. I was disgusted, especially when my dad laughed, reach his hand in to take a bite and say, "See? It's good!" I never thought I'd eat sisig again in my life.
However, people grow up and tastes change. And I finally had GOOD sisig with edible parts of the pig and other seasonings. To add to that, with the whole food truck craze, one of the most popular Filipino dishes found is sisig. (I love you, Senor Sisig truck!)
I love experimenting with new recipes, so I thought I could try to make my own sisig. I searched and searched until I found a decent recipe. You can read the 'I Love Sisig' blog where I found the recipe for the history (and recipe) of sisig.
The reason I chose now to make sisig was because Whole Foods had pork shoulder for $2.99! Whole Foods! Cheap meat! I KNOW!!! And I'm turning into my mom, because I basically got the butcher to give me the already cut pork shoulder (which was more expensive) for the $2.99 price. I'm becoming more and more Filipino with age!
I invited my friend Ronna, who's like a little sister, to come and help me experiment with my new recipe. I was trying to show her how to cook, but that really wasn't happening what with the World Series on and all.... And, since alcohol is pretty much a requirement, I enjoyed some vodka in my calamansi juice.
My sisig was AMAZING!!! Not as good as the sisig my friend gets in Santa Clara, but better than my local food trucks. (Blasphemous, I know!) Ronna was also impressed with my cooking abilities, and we both hella chowed down. We ate it with rice since I didn't buy any tortillas, and I figured we should eat it the pinoy way. What I love about cooking something new is that I don't know what to expect. I know what sisig is supposed to taste like, but, like in any culture, there are a thousand recipes for the same dish that each version can taste different. Like many Filipino dishes, the base was soy sauce and vinegar, with garlic and onions. But I think the biggest difference in this dish is the technique of cooking. I got to bust out my indoor grill, practice my dicing skills, and use my mom's old seasoned wok with the love and resin of 25 years of Asian cooking. Plus, there was a 4.0 earthquake while I was cooking. I stopped, looked at my friend, called to my gf in our bedroom and said, "Honey, are you ok?" Then, I went on with my business while Ronna and I laughed at the earthjiggle. I didn't even feel the earthquake earlier today, but I felt this one. But it didn't phase me. I truly am a Cali girl.
It was only hampered by the fact that I had a crazy case of the hiccups after. And, for $6, I still have enough for leftovers. We'll see if my Filipino coworkers think my cooking is as good as I think.
However, people grow up and tastes change. And I finally had GOOD sisig with edible parts of the pig and other seasonings. To add to that, with the whole food truck craze, one of the most popular Filipino dishes found is sisig. (I love you, Senor Sisig truck!)
I love experimenting with new recipes, so I thought I could try to make my own sisig. I searched and searched until I found a decent recipe. You can read the 'I Love Sisig' blog where I found the recipe for the history (and recipe) of sisig.
The reason I chose now to make sisig was because Whole Foods had pork shoulder for $2.99! Whole Foods! Cheap meat! I KNOW!!! And I'm turning into my mom, because I basically got the butcher to give me the already cut pork shoulder (which was more expensive) for the $2.99 price. I'm becoming more and more Filipino with age!
I invited my friend Ronna, who's like a little sister, to come and help me experiment with my new recipe. I was trying to show her how to cook, but that really wasn't happening what with the World Series on and all.... And, since alcohol is pretty much a requirement, I enjoyed some vodka in my calamansi juice.
My sisig was AMAZING!!! Not as good as the sisig my friend gets in Santa Clara, but better than my local food trucks. (Blasphemous, I know!) Ronna was also impressed with my cooking abilities, and we both hella chowed down. We ate it with rice since I didn't buy any tortillas, and I figured we should eat it the pinoy way. What I love about cooking something new is that I don't know what to expect. I know what sisig is supposed to taste like, but, like in any culture, there are a thousand recipes for the same dish that each version can taste different. Like many Filipino dishes, the base was soy sauce and vinegar, with garlic and onions. But I think the biggest difference in this dish is the technique of cooking. I got to bust out my indoor grill, practice my dicing skills, and use my mom's old seasoned wok with the love and resin of 25 years of Asian cooking. Plus, there was a 4.0 earthquake while I was cooking. I stopped, looked at my friend, called to my gf in our bedroom and said, "Honey, are you ok?" Then, I went on with my business while Ronna and I laughed at the earthjiggle. I didn't even feel the earthquake earlier today, but I felt this one. But it didn't phase me. I truly am a Cali girl.
It was only hampered by the fact that I had a crazy case of the hiccups after. And, for $6, I still have enough for leftovers. We'll see if my Filipino coworkers think my cooking is as good as I think.
