How to Cook The Best Higado/Igado Recipe Dishes

The Philippines are well-known for having different kinds of exotic cuisines. It includes balot, steamed coconut crab, roasted beetles larvae, steamed Curacha, and Nido soup. But for today, we’re featuring the course that uses pig’s innards as the primary ingredient. 

If you are not familiar, this Best Higado is basically a dish that uses animals’ internal organs, specifically the liver, and meat, as the primary ingredients. It is not surprising that most Filipino cuisine uses pig’s flesh as their main ingredient in most of their dishes. The Philippines has a fast hog-growing industry that has an exceptional contribution to its gross domestic product with multi-billion accounts.

On the contrary, there is no such waste in every inch part of a hog. You can make a meal out of every aspect of it aside from its internal organs. Starting from its head to feet, even its skin but mostly the meat part. Pork belly, jowls, ham, and many more are the most significant examples of the pig’s meat with the most in-demand reputation in the market nowadays. 

We are getting back to our topic. To know more about this procedure, we provide some information to give you some knowledge about it. This information might be an excellent guideline for exploring and digesting how to cook this kind of course.

Without any hesitation, let’s move forward.

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What Is The Best Higado Recipe?

This mixture is a well-known course by the Ilocos region people in the Philippines. Moreover, it is the Spanish people who introduce this pig’s innard as superior to their ancestors. The liver is the primary ingredient that they use in making this course.

Its preparation is cutting the pig’s innards such as liver, intestines, kidney, heart, and meat into strips. Then, saute it into your pan and wait for it to be soft. It’s better to boil them first into the pressure boiler to make it smoother to eat. For your information, a pig’s heart is hard to tenderize parts, so you need more patience to prepare it. 

Furthermore, the Filipinos considered these pig’s innards to their cuisine. Still, somehow to add flavor to it, they put some meat parts like pork loin and belly to prepare their different courses, including these pig’s innards courses. They also put some vegetables and other ingredients to enhance its taste: green peas, bell pepper, carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, ginger, bay leaf, vinegar, and soy sauce—also products like salt, pepper, and sugar, for seasoning and to balance the flavor. You can also put some finger chili (Siling Haba) for more spice.

Regardless of having a long track in history, some Filipino individuals are not aware of this meal. But in some cases, these procedures are mistakenly identified as the same course that some Filipinos are preparing. Yet, it can take account of being one of the excellent Filipino foods.

On the other hand, join us as we introduce the different variations in making these delicious courses. It might not be familiar to some of you, but trying them might give everyone an outstanding outcome. To glance into these different variations, keep navigating, and discover the various version courses that some places have.

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Variations On Cooking The Pork Igado Recipe Dishes

Knowing different kinds of variation in catering, this particular is enjoyable to deal with. Some places with their unique procedure for making pig’s innards are mind-blowing enlightenment for each of us. Trying these courses can give a high-grade in your preparation. It can also offer an idea of how you can provide a unique kick to your foods. 

In this section, we provide some variety on how to prepare your pig’s innards courses. It contains various procedures that are represented by some places in the Philippines. Therefore, let’s get started to learn more about this Ilocos pride cuisine, pig’s innards mixture.

Ilocano Style Recipe

For our first variety of this course, we have here the original Ilocano style pig’s innards procedure. As you all know, introducing this recipe is the first thing that the Spanish do in the Ilocos region. Initially, they are the one who learns this procedure. First, that is why you can call their course the Original Ilocano Style Igado. 

To prepare for this procedure, make sure that you cleanse your pig’s innards properly. Double-check each of them to see if you remove the grease, gunks, and impurities inside and outside correctly. Washing them with clear water can help a lot. You may also put some hot water to cleanse them to remove the oiliness that they have. As a result, it can be more convenient to remove the dirt within them. 

Moreover, cut the pig’s innards and meat into strips. Alongside, saute some onion and garlic in the pan and carefully put the pig’s innards and f that you prepare. Mix them well and make sure that they incorporate each other's flesh. Please wait until it slightly cooks and put some flavor seasoning like salt and pepper. 

After a few minutes:

1. Put the vinegar, soy sauce, and water. You can put bay leaf for additional spice.
2. Boil it to tenderize.
3. After it cooks, put some green peas and green bell pepper for extra color and flavor.
4. Cover the lead of the boiler for a few minutes until the peas and bell pepper become softer.

After that, you can serve it and enjoy the taste of it together with your family, friends, and loved ones.

Filipino Pork Liver and Meat Style Recipes

Filipinos love to eat more than anything else. That is why most of them know how to prepare. They consider innovating an authentic cuisine to develop a unique procedure for representing themselves as proud Filipinos. For them, appreciating and enhancing one’s version of the formula shows respect and creativeness through the new course they transpire. 

It is the same as preparing Igado courses. This procedure is known for being Spanish cuisine and introduced to the Philippines. Filipinos added some ingredients to intensify this meal's flavor to give more savory out of its original taste. They add tomato sauce products that can counter the bitterness flavor of the innards. They also put in some veggies that can complement the appetite of this cuisine.

Moreover, not hidden from your knowledge that the liver has a bitter taste that other people don't like—some of them skip the idea of having it in their meals. But there are some that it’s their favorite. To add more to that, did you know that the internal organ of the pig has a lot of detox nutrients, especially the liver, than its meat? Yes, that is certain.

Many of us think that vegetables and fruits are the most nutritional foods than others. But on the contrary, the liver surpasses all the nutrients that they have. They call it a superfood because a small amount can provide well over 100% of the RDI for many essential nutrients. It contains rich, high-quality protein and low in calories. The other essential nutrients are vitamin B12, vitamin A, Riboflavin (B2), Folate (B9), Iron, Copper, and Choline. 

Furthermore, preparing these Filipino Style pig’s innards courses, put some tomato extract to give an extra flavor, and counter the innards' bitterness. Tomato extract has a sweet and sour taste and typically one of the ingredients in making Filipino Cuisine. An excellent example of that is the Pork Menudo. It is somehow similar to our star recipe because it associates with the same ingredients. The difference is that the Pork Menudo has a taste closer to Adobo and similar to Kapampangan Kilayin.

In preparing this Filipino Style pig’s innards mixture, they also put some cleansed carrots and potatoes. For additional color and flavor. They are quickly boiling veggies that can be mashed if you overcook them. For more information, you can watch videos or read articles on the internet to properly soften these kinds of vegetables.

Bicol Style Recipe

Bicol is known for having different cuisines that have a strong taste of spiciness. It includes Bicol Express that has an excellent reputation around the country. On the contrary, did you know that aside from having Bicol express, they also recognize this meal's preparation? That is right; they also know how to prepare this delicious cuisine with their version of it.

Moreover, their version is slightly different from the original procedure. For preparation, saute pig’s meat and innards into a pan that has vegetable oil. They put the same seasoning for a better taste. And last, their unique ingredients that everyone doesn't know; the minced taro. 

Having root crops in their cuisines is their signature for preparing foods. They have a lot of variety of root crops that can give a new dimension to a plate. A superb example of that is the taro included in their version of the pig’s innards procedure. Their abundance of these root crops is undeniable. That is why they frequently have them in their courses. You can also make snacks and appetizers from it. The root crops and the leaves and stems have a generous contribution to their cuisine. It is the primary ingredient of their well-known Bicol express.

Kapampangan Style

Kapampangan (people in Pampanga) is famous in terms of excellent catering. Their cooking is more delicate than the other places in the country. Considering their history, they think that the Spanish people, especially the friars and sailors, are the one who introduces preparing food to the Kapampangans. 

Furthermore, Pampanga is entitled to the Philippines' Culinary Capital because they can produce different delicious food out of all the categories. To give you an example, here is the Kilayin. It is their counterpart of the famous Ilocano course pig’s innards mixture. 

For the preparation of this procedure, you need meat, liver, and heart. And for other versions, they include the lungs of the pig that is one of their signature ingredients. It is an easy ingredient that can get anywhere in the Philippines. But for some reason, other countries like the US don't have access to get this pig’s lungs in their market places, so it is hard for them to find it. The efficient alternative for that is beef, which is their primary ingredient in their cuisines.

In Kapampangan style, you need to saute the meat, liver, kidney, heart, and lungs in a pan. Please wait until it’s slightly braised and put some seasoning into it. Put meat stocks of fresh water and bring it to boil to tenderize the ingredient. And after that, you can serve and enjoy it with your family, friends, and loved ones.

Higado Encebollado ( Mexican Liver and Onions)

It is one of the Mexican procedures in making beef innards mixture, especially the liver. Instead of using pig’s innard, they used Rumba meats sliced beef liver. Traditionally, they serve this cuisine to celebrate their Hispanic Heritage Month. For them, this cuisine is similar to Bistec encebollado that other people know.

The preparation of this kind of version is more different than we expected to be. For this procedure, rumba meats sliced beef liver and bouillon, many white onions, olive oil, garlic, water, and jalapeno are the primary ingredients in making this cuisine. And salt and pepper for taste.

You can try this Higado Encebollado if you don't like so many veggies in your food. And on another side, you can include carrots and potatoes if you want.

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Troubleshooting

Not all the preparations are the same as the others. There are some cases where you face difficulties in serving your food. Especially if you are a beginner, some individuals are not good at measuring things. As a result, they are making trouble in their kitchen.

You can watch videos on the internet that might help you achieve what you wanted in preparing foods, but sometimes they lack some instructions and procedures. Maybe because some videos have limited time, and the other videos accidentally cut the critical process in making the procedure. It can be useful if you have an excellent memory to memorize all the courses, but having a hard copy of the preparation is a lot better.

Moreover, videos can’t have troubleshooting together with the courses they are featuring in the same recording—that is why it can become another trouble for you.

To give you hope in that matter, we provide some of the top remedies that can help you to fix your recipe. Following this information might be your excellent solution. Let’s move forward to take a look at this troubleshooting.

• Salty Relish - it is one of the most common problems in preparing your food. Many people can't control and adjust the amount of salt they need to put into their mixture. That is why it results in a salty mix. 

It can affect the entire mixture of your course if you don't get a solution in a short period. The solid ingredients can absorb the salty of the relish if it sits in longer. In that case, it is another trouble for you. That is why you need to come up with a great solution instantly.

The excellent process of fixing your salty relish is to re-adjust the portion of your mixtures. If it is salty, remove some of the coulis' parts and put the right amount of unsalted broth, stocks, or plain water. In that case, you can balance the taste and control the saltiness of your food.

• The relish is too thick - some of the people love to have a thick spice in their courses. But on the other hand, some are not comfortable with it. This problem is a lot easier than other issues in the kitchen. It results from having a small amount of liquid in the mixture and too much blending on high heat.

To resolve that matter, you can put some liquid that can help you to uncurdled your mixture. You can also remove the boiler from the fire and put some ice into your mix. In that case, you can reduce your meal's boiling process, and you can uncurdled the coulis of your course.

• Greasy aftertaste - tasting food is one of the exciting things to do. But in some cases, it is disappointing if your food has an oily aftertaste. It can affect your mood in eating and down your interest in a meal that you're having. 

The excellent remedy is to use vegetable or peanut oil to remove the food's greasy aftertaste. It can also produce an additional flavor to your meal.

• The meat is rubbery - Most of the time, preparing the flesh is the number one priority in producing courses. Having rubbery meat can lessen the attentiveness in eating your food. That is why the excellent remedy for preparing the flesh is to perform a slow-heating process. The other procedure is to use a pressure cooker. In that way, you can soften your meat in a short period.
• Too spicy - spicy food can boost your appetite in eating. But in some instances, you prepare your food with too much spiciness, by accident. Besides, it can cause some trouble to the person that eats this spicy food. They can get a severe stomach ache and heartburn that can cause so much trouble for them.

The better remedy for that is to put some dairy products like milk, butter, and cream that can counter the other food's spiciness. It can also give an excellent taste and flavor to your recipe. Besides, milk can also give nutrients that benefit your body.

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Trivia; Pig’s Innards Recipes

Let us check out all the ingredients that this pig’s innards procedure has. In consideration of using animal internal organs to use muscled meat, we will give you some information about the nutrients that each of these ingredients can get. 

You can have these anywhere at a lower price, not knowing that it can benefit you more than you expected. There are a lot of nutrients that you can achieve by eating these pig’s innards ingredients. Aside from the liver that we introduce as a superfood, the other animal’s internal organs are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. 

To learn more about the nutritional value they possess, keep on navigating all the information we will provide. Each ingredient contains different detox nutrients that have significant benefits to your body. 

• Pig’s kidney is one of the pig's internal organs that usually includes many Filipino cuisines like our star recipe for today. Alongside being a primary ingredient of a meal pig’s kidney contains high protein, selenium, Vitamin 12, and biotic.
• The pig's heart is one of the pig's internal organs that is the primary source of detox complex vitamins such as B2, B12, and B6. It has folate, zinc, iron, and selenium, too. It can protect your heart against heart diseases, also known as the cardioprotective effect.

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Tips

This section gives you some helpful information that might guide you on properly preparing your ingredients. Following these tips is an excellent practice for preparing your pig’s innards mixture, especially for beginners who don't know how to make these kinds of courses. 

• In reducing the odor of the pig’s innards, it is better to soak it in the water with a great salt.
• The overcooked liver is not great for preparing any dish. Boiling it in low heat makes sense to avoid a rubbery texture.
• Put the liver 5 minutes before the mixture thoroughly cooks. Along this line, the liver's blood can help to thicken the meal.
• Cut the ingredients into strips for even serving.
• In preparing the pig’s innards mixture, uncover your pan’s lead after you put the vinegar. In that way, the vinegar's acid content can evaporate completely, then put the soy sauce and the water.
• If you want some kick into your food, you can include cracked peppers and chilies.

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Superior Serve with

Pairing your meal can give an appetite to keep you from eating more. To provide you with an example, here are some of the meals that can complement the taste of your pig’s innards recipes.

• Pinakbet - putting veggies and innards in one plate can result in an outstanding taste that you can enjoy while eating. The bland taste of the pinakbet can adapt to the flavor that this pig’s innards mixture has. That is why they can play as a perfect match.
• Sinigang Soup - the hot and sourness of the Sinigang Soup can complement this mixture’s bitter taste and savory. That is why they are doing such an excellent job together.
• Fried fish - any food that has coulis can pair with any fried dish like this fried tilapia. The crispiness of the fish plays a part in the creamy relish of these innards courses.
• Ginisang munggo - the creaminess of the Ginisang munggo can corporate the savory taste of the bitterness flavor of the pig’s innards.

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Conclusion

Therefore we conclude that these recipes deserve a space in every list that individuals have. pig’s innards mixture has an outstanding savory that can give a mouthwatering effect to everyone. Preparing these recipes at your dining table can make an exceptional result.

Moreover, These procedures can give nutrition to your health, especially to your body. Because each of its ingredients is a good source of nutrients that our body demands. Besides, making these courses is straightforward; that is why you can try this at home.

On the contrary, if you have gout, eating this pig’s innards mixture can affect you the most because innards contain purine with high uric acid. That is why we suggest you eat this in moderation. On the other hand, skipping or moderation of taking innards is also indicated for pregnant women because it can affect their babies' health and cause congenital disease.  Innards contain high levels of Vitamin A. That is, while too much of this can result in big trouble for them.

Furthermore, did you know that you can also give your pets this food, especially your dogs and cats? Yes, that’s possible. Dogs and cats can obtain nutrients that come from this course. It can give great benefits to their health, especially in their body. 

To put an end, we hope that this information can help you to try this course. Including this dish to your list is a great thing to do. You can also serve it on any occasion that you have to amaze your family, friends, and loved ones with its savory and excellent taste. So, what are you waiting for? Go to your kitchen and cook some for them? Enjoy eating!

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