Pork Igado
This recipe is the lighter version of Igado, a popular Ilocano dish made with cubes of pork and liver slowly stewed in our favorite soy sauce and vinegar concoction. It is similar to Adobo but with Menudo ingredients.
A dish for ‘adventurous eaters, traditional Igado also consists of other pork innards such as kidney, heart, lungs etc. Admittedly, my appetite can only handle liver. I love the nutty flavor it brings to the dish.
While others prefer their Igado leaner, I prefer mine with a little fat. So I used a combination of lean pork cut and belly. Their flavor and texture together are just too wonderful.
Some Igado recipe only calls for fewer vegetables. But the husband prefers it with carrots, potatoes, peas, and peppers. He grew up eating this being an Ilocano himself. This is kind of their ‘Menudo’ without the tomatoes.
One thing I learned from cooking this dish is to not overcook the liver. It can get tough and chewy. Let the pork get tender first, then add the liver, potatoes, and carrots consequently.
Need more Filipino Pork recipes for your weekly menu? Try these!
- Pork Humba (Meltingly tender Pork!)
- Pork Fried Rice
- How to Make Lechon Pork Belly
- Pork Ribs Adobo Pressure Cooker Recipe
- Easy Pork Belly Sisig
- Pork Afritada
- Pork Arroz A la Cubana
- Oven-Fried Crispy Lechon Kawali
- Pork Ribs Sinigang
- Easy Pork and Garlic Adobo Recipe
- Pork Embutido with Cheese
- Pork Binagoongan (Binagoongang Baboy)
- Ground Pork and Green Bean Stir fry
- Pork Giniling with Potatoes and Quail Eggs
Watch the video on how to make Pork Igado
Ingredients
- 600 grams pork—tenderloin and belly (cut into small cubes)
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 onion (finely sliced)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 pieces bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 200 grams pork liver (cut into cubes)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 medium potatoes (cut into strips)
- 1 medium carrot (cut into strips)
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1 medium red bell pepper (deseeded, sliced into strips)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a pot with heated oil, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add sliced pork. Cook until no longer pink.
- Add soy sauce and vinegar. Let the liquid simmer first before stirring, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add water, bay leaf, oyster sauce, and sugar. Cover with lid and cook until pork is fork tender, around 15 to 20 minutes.Note: If liquid evaporates too quickly, just add water 1/4 cup at a time.
- Once pork is tender, add potatoes, carrots, and liver. Stir then cover with lid. Cook for 12 minutes or until the vegetables are half cooked.
- Add bell peppers and peas. Season with ground black pepper and salt. Taste test and adjust salt/pepper as needed. Continue cooking until sauce becomes slightly thicker and vegetables are cooked.Serve with rice and enjoy!
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- Do not overcook the liver. It can get tough and chewy.
- To boost the liver flavor, marinate in 2 tsp soy sauce and ground pepper for a 10 minutes then pan-fry until half-cooked before combining with the pork mixture.
- For a leaner version of Igado, use tenderloin cuts.
- Types of vinegar you can use: coconut vinegar, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar. I use sukang Iloco to make this dish.
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