Best-selling Sisig Recipe
Cooking dishes like sisig helped her manage stress—and earn extra income—during the new normal! Try this spin on the classic recipe!
It has been a while now since restrictions were implemented all over the country to keep us protected in the current times. Despite staying at home to prevent any illnesses, we tried to do our best to get back our lives.
The situation gave me opportunities to improve myself as a wife and as a parent. I learned new crafts, spent more quality time with my family and also found online gigs like selling packed home-cooked meals to earn extra income.
I used my passion for cooking to fight depression and earn additional income for my family during the new normal. It also served as a bonding experience with my husband and my little one. This period was an opportunity for my husband and I to bond over what we both love to do—cooking and eating.
An heirloom recipe
During one of our lunches, my husband decided to cook his version of sisig. Whenever he cooks this dish, he becomes a little nostalgic. His mom and stepdad usually cooked it on Sundays when he was still a child.
My husband’s stepdad, a Kapampangan, told them that before sisig became known as a popular dish, the word itself meant “sour.” The dish was invented by Lucia Cunanan (also known as Aling Lucing) a local carinderia owner in Pampanga. It was so popular that the province passed an ordinance to safeguard the dish.
When my husband returned to work last May 2020, he realized that it was hard for employees to find places to eat near the office, since many restaurants remained closed or limited the number of customers.
That gave us the idea to sell packed lunches to his friends. We started with just three packed lunches, until we reached up to 12 packed lunches per day just from his friends. It was tiring but fulfilling. We were able to earn extra money, and we also received messages thanking us for the food and how they loved it.
Today, I will share the ingredients and procedures of cooking my husband's version of sisig for you and your family to enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo pork kasim
- 3 pcs red onions, diced
- 10 pcs calamansi, squeezed and seeds removed
- 1 tbsp. cracked pepper
- 1 cup (120ml) mayonnaise
- 5 red chilis, chopped
- 3 pcs bay leaves
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce
- 4 tbsp. salt
- 500 ml cooking oil
Preparation
- In a large pot of boiling water, boil 1 kilo of pork together with 4 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon cracked pepper, and bay leaves. The bay leaf will add aroma to your pork as it boils and will also enhance its taste.
- After 25 to 30 minutes, remove the pork from the boiling water and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a large pan, add enough cooking oil to deep-fry the pork. Turn the pork pieces as needed, so all sides are golden brown. Boiling the pork before frying will seal the flavor inside, making it crispy on the outside and moist and aromatic inside.
- After removing the pork from the pan, allow the meat to cool down for 10 minutes. After that, you can chop the meat into the same size of the diced onion, or smaller if desired.
- In a large bowl, add calamansi juice, fish sauce, and mayonnaise together. Pour the mixture over the pork, mixing until it covers all the meat. Add the chopped onions and chilis, then serve.
You can also use this recipe to start your own business, and who knows – this may turn out to be one of your best sellers too!
The past year may have been a roller coaster ride for most of us, but it doesn't mean that it will be like that forever. All we need to do is see the brighter side of things and make the most of what we have at the moment.
Reference
About The Writer
Lhourdes Mercadero
Lhourdes Mercadero is a food, parenting and lifestyle blogger based in the Philippins. A happy, contented mother and wife, she spends a lot of time in the kitchen experimenting on new recipes, and finding new ways to make dishes more appealing. When not in the kitchen, she spends her “me time” making product reviews, sharing her experiences with fellow moms in the community, playing with her kids, and enjoying life to the fullest.
Articles written for parenTeam:
• End the Food Wars: Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Proper Meals, Without Fighting!
• Milk + (Healthy) Cookies: Nutritious Cookie/Muffin Recipes (Organics)
The views and opinions expressed by the writer are his/her own, and does not state or reflect those of Wyeth Nutrition and its principals.
