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A bowl of pork menudo with chunks of pork, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, sliced sausages, and raisins in a tomato-based sauce, served with a spoon.
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Filipino Pork Menudo

This pork menudo is rich, hearty, and packed with tender pork, vegetables, and savory tomato sauce. Perfect for family dinners or gatherings.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Servings (Adjustable): 6
Calories: 333kcal
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds whole pork kasim pork shoulder
  • 1 ¼ cup diced yellow onions 1 large
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic 4 cloves
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces (411 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 2 cups water add more if needed
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt add more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper add more to taste
  • 1 piece dried bay leaf
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce add more to taste

PAN FRY:

  • ¼ cup cooking oil add more if needed
  • 3 pieces hotdogs boiled for 2 minutes and diagonal cut
  • 1 cup chopped carrots 1 piece (9.7 ounces, 275 grams)
  • 1 cup chopped potato 2 medium (8.8 ounces, 250 grams)
  • 2 medium red bell peppers diced (3.5 ounces, 100 grams)
  • 2 medium green bell peppers diced (3.5 ounces, 100 grams)
  • 3.5 ounces chicken liver (100 grams)

OPTIONAL:

  • 1 tablespoon raisins

OTHERS:

  • toothpicks

Instructions

  • Pat pork dry with paper towels and trim off the tough connective tissues hanging, known in the Philippines as litid while retaining most of the pork fat.
  • Cut pork shoulder into 1 inch bite-sized chunks and season with salt and black pepper. Set aside, allow the seasonings to marinate for at least 30 minutes while peeling and cutting the vegetables.
    Raw, cubed meat with seasoning in a copper pan, sitting on top of chopped onions, with a wooden spoon resting on the side.
  • In a large heated deep pan with oil over low heat (60°C), sauté onions until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add the seasoned pork. Increase the heat to 120°C and sauté the pork for 10 minutes.
    Diced raw pork and chopped onions being cooked in a pan with visible seasoning and a wooden spoon.
  • Pour 1 tablespoon soy sauce and continue to sauté the pork for another 10 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes, pour water, and bay leaf. Boil for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat to low (60°C) and simmer the pork-tomato mixture for 30 to 40 minutes.
    A pan filled with cooked sausage pieces and a generous portion of diced tomatoes, with a wooden spoon resting on top.
  • While the pork-tomato mixture is simmering over low heat, pan fry the other ingredients per batch using a small pan. In a small heated pan with oil, pan fry carrots and potatoes until tender, hotdogs and bell peppers.
    Chopped carrots cooking in olive oil in a nonstick frying pan on a white surface, with a red and white checkered cloth in the background.
  • Sear the chicken liver without thoroughly cooking and set aside each ingredient.
    Four pieces of meat frying in oil in a grey nonstick pan on a white surface, with a red and white checkered cloth nearby.
  • After 30 to 40 minutes, test several pieces of pork’s tenderness with toothpicks. If the pork is not as tender as preferred, add ½ cup of water (more or less), season, stir, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until almost tender.
  • Once the pork is almost tender, add the carrots, potatoes, chicken liver and half of the bell peppers, stir to combine, then continue to simmer on low for 5 minutes.
    Close-up of diced carrots and potatoes being cooked in a red sauce.
  • Add the hotdog slices and the remaining bell peppers, stir to combine, then continue to simmer on low for 5 minutes.
    Sliced red sausage with chopped green and orange bell peppers, cooked together in a pan.
  • After 5 minutes, give one last stir, turn off the heat, and sprinkle raisins on top (if using). Serve and enjoy this Filipino Pork Menudo with hot white rice on the side.
    A bowl of pork menudo with vegetables and raisins sits on a white table next to a pan of the same dish, a small bowl of raisins, and a red checkered cloth.

Notes

To save time, peel and cut vegetables while the pork is marinating. Pan fry the vegetables, hotdogs, and chicken liver while the pork stew is simmering over low heat in a separate deep pan.
 
As indicated in the packaging, the popular Philippine red hotdogs are fried by peeling off the casing, cooking in water until the water dries up and then fried in oil. For this recipe, we boiled the whole hotdogs in water for 2 minutes, cooled, then sliced diagonally.
 
Use quality ingredients from the pork shoulder (kasim) to the vegetables and seasonings. Tender pork shoulder with an adequate distribution of fat marbling is preferred. Buy quality whole pork shoulder instead of the pre-cut to ensure that each piece is fresh.
 
Sea salt is widely used in Filipino households, but imported salt products including kosher, Himalayan Pink salt, and Maldon salt are also used by modern Filipino families.
 
Pork liver is traditionally used in Filipino Pork Menudo, but chicken liver is an alternative and favored by many as pork liver can be tougher than chicken liver.
 
Only 3.5 ounces or 100 grams of chicken liver was included in this recipe. It provided the hint of liver in the stew without overpowering the dish. Add more chicken (or pork) liver if preferred.
 
Filipino Pork Menudo is a hearty dish served during family celebrations, fiestas/feasts, and the Yuletide season. It can be cooked year-round as the ingredients are readily available although some ingredients maybe higher in prices depending on the season.
 
 
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 935mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6874IU | Vitamin C: 104mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 4mg

Equipment

Measuring Spoons
measuring cups
Knife
Peeler
Chopping board
Wooden Spatula
Small fry pan
Large deep pan

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