Bopis is a dish made with pork’s heart and lungs. This has been a familiar dish in any drinking parties in the Philippines as a pulutan.
However, with Filipinos eating everything with rice, bopis also found its way to the humble dinner table of the Filipino.
This Pork Bopis Recipe, though its main ingredient is not that accessible in, say, a supermarket, is a very easy dish to cook.
What follows in the next few paragraphs is the procedure in following this Pork Bopis Recipe.
You may get pork’s heart and lungs at the butcher’s shop at the town’s wet market. If you are going to get it from the supermarket though, always ask the staff if they have some.
Upon getting the organs to make sure to clean it thoroughly and put it in a pot with water to boil. Add either lemongrass or ginger to eliminate the smell coming from the organs.
Let the organs boil for 20 minutes. While it is in a boil, you can also use a fork to move the organs, ensuring that all parts are well-boiled up.
After boiling it, bring it off the pan and start dicing it.
Pork Bopis Recipe and Preparation
On a pan, add palm oil and bring it to heat then saute the garlic and onion until it is translucent.
Once it is translucent, you can add the chopped organs and bay leaf (again to balance out the pungency in the organs) and stir for 3 minutes.
Next, add the chopped Siling Labuyo and simmer and stir for 2 minutes. Then you add vinegar, water and soy sauce, stirring until the combination of these three evaporates.
You can add more vinegar or more soy sauce to taste. Add salt and ground pepper as well.
Since this dish is more on the spicy side, you can add more chillis and pepper and let it simmer until the chillis are well-mixed into the dish.
Pork bopis recipe
You may get pork’s heart and lungs at the butcher’s shop at the town’s wet market. If you are going to get it from the supermarket though, always ask the staff if they have some. Course Main CourseCuisine FilipinoKeyword Pork Prep Time 15 minutesCook Time 1 hourTotal Time 1 hour 15 minutes Servings 5 people Author Joost Nusselder Cost $8Ingredients
- ½ kg pork heart
- ½ kg pork lungs
- 300 g pork fat, skin on
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large red onion minced
- 4 pcs bay leaves
- 1 large red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 tbsp siling labuyo or cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp annatto powder dissolved in 3 tbsp stock
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 1 knot pandan leaves
- 3 cups vinegar
- 1 cup pork stock
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- canola oil
- green chili pepper for garnish
Instructions
- In large frying pan, add pork fat, heart and lungs, lemongrass, pandan leaves, 1 cup of vinegar, 1 tbsp salt and enough water to cover the meat.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove meat, let it cool then dice the meat finely. Set aside.
- In a heavy pan, heat oil and sauté garlic and onions. Add the chopped meat, cayenne pepper and bay leaves, stir fry for 3 minutes. 5. Add bell pepper, 1 cup of vinegar and stock, bring to a boil and simmer in high heat until sauce thickens.
- Add more vinegar if you want it more sour.
- Add annatto powder mixture then season with fish sauce and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
- Simmer for 2 minutes then place in big bell peppers and garnish with green chili pepper. Serve with hot rice.
For the fish sauce, you don’t want to get any old fish sauce, but this original flavor of patis.
Turn off the stove and let the heat further simmer the Bopis. Serve it on a large plate and garnish with chopped green chilies or chopped green onions. And that’s it.
Include this Pork Bopis Recipe in your to-cook list and be ready for any surprise drinking party.
You can also try our Special Sisig Recipe if you are still looking for Pulutan’s.
For most Americans, BOPIS is an acronym that stands for Buy Online, Pick Up In Store.
They may not realize it is also the name of an unusual Filipino dish with a spicy kick.
What is Bopis?
Bopis refers to a Filipino dish of pork or beef lungs and heart sautéed in tomatoes, chilies and onions.
It is Spanish in origin and it is often served with alcoholic beverages and eaten as a bar snack similar to tapas.
It can also be eaten as a meal when accompanied with wild rice.
This article will talk more about bopis, its origins, recipes and other related information.
Origins of Bopis
Bopis is a Flipino dish with Spanish origins. However, the Spanish connection is difficult to trace back to establish.
In Filipino culture, it is often associated with evil spirits who shape shift to become monster like creatures that eat internal organs.
Bopis Cooking Tips
Bopis is a unique recipe, to say the least, and there are a few things you should note before cooking the meal.
Clean out the lungs
First of all, if you are using pork, the lungs should be well cleaned before you start the recipe.
They have a very strong odor and cleaning in advance will keep this under control.
If you are eating out, the cook will clean the lungs in advance.
Home cooks can do it themselves by simmering them in wine, vinegar or a combination of lemon, grass and pandan.
Mince the meat well
When preparing the meat, it is important to make sure it is minced well.
This will ensure that it has the fine texture that those who eat bopis have come to expect.
It should be cooked in a wok at high heat so the garlic and onions are sautéed until browned.
You may also add chili, vinegar, carrots or stock depending on the taste you are going for.
Simmer for the right consistency
Next you want to simmer the meat to the desired consistency. Some prefer the bopis to be liquidy while others like a drier taste.
The longer you simmer, the drier it will be.
Seasoning bopis
Once it is at the proper consistency, you can add salt, pepper and chilies to taste.
Many people also flavor bopis with annatto which is an orange color and flavorant made from the seed of the tropical Bixa Orellana tree.
Its taste can be described as spicy, tangy and peppery. It is often used to flavor beer in Filipino bars.
Find ideal taste balance
You must also make sure your bopis has a balanced flavor.
Here are some ways to ensure it has the ideal taste.
- Don’t Make it Too Sweet: Some people try to counter the bitter taste of bopis by adding sugar. However, if you add too much you will make the bopis too sweet. Fortunately, you can bring back the balance by adding vinegar and a pinch of salt.
- Too Spicy: Bopis is usually spicy, but if it’s overkill for diners with more of a mild palette, you can counter the spiciness by adding sugar.
- Too Salty: Bopis tends to taste good with a dash of salt, but if you add too much and it becomes too spicy, try adding a little bit more of everything else to balance things out.
Where Can You Eat the Best Bopis in the Philippines?
There are many places that serve bopis in the Philippines.
If you decide to visit the country, here are a few restaurants that are recommended for making the best bopis.
- First Colonial Grill: Located in Legazpi City, The First Colonial Grill doesn’t have much of a social media presence but their outstanding customer reviews have put them on the map. In addition to making a great bopis dish, people can’t get enough of their terrific ice cream.
- Waway’s: Waway’s is another restaurant located in Lagazpi City. It is known for serving authentic Bicol food and it offers a lunchtime buffet that offers spicy milk-cooked specialties, kare-kare and tempura vegetables.
- Archipelago 7107: This restaurant is located in Pasig, Philippines. It is so well liked, you may have a hard time getting in the door. They are known for their superior bopis as well as their wide variety of delicious rice dishes.
How to Eat Bopis
Bopis is an unusual meal to eat, but here are the ways it is best enjoyed.
- With Rice: Bopis is often served with hot rice. The rice helps absorb the meat’s odor and strong aftertaste.
- With Fried Fish: Bopis goes well with the saltiness of fish. Just make sure the fish isn’t too salty.
- With Fish Sauce: Fish sauce helps counter bopis’ dominantly salty taste.
- Beer: Bopis is often served with beer and other alcoholic beverages. This may be because people have to be a little tipsy to work up the nerve to try the dish!
Bopis is definitely an unusual meal and it is not for the faint of heart.
Will you be brave enough to take the plunge?
