Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Filipino Pork Sisig
菲律賓酸香豬肉碎
Recipe overview
Pork collar is simmered, diced and seared before being tossed with onion, chillies and calamansi for crisp edges and a juicy centre.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g pork collar
- 180 g onion
- 5 calamansi
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 1 green chilli
Pork blanching
- 1.5 litres water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp salt
Pan-searing oil
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Finishing seasoning
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
02
Tools
- covered saucepan
- colander
- chopping board
- kitchen knife
- mixing bowl
- frying pan
- spatula
- measuring spoons
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Simmer the pork
Put pork, water, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in a pot; bring to a boil, cover and simmer 25 minutes.
Step 2
Check and cool
The pork centre must reach 63°C; drain and rest 10 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid for another use, not this dish.
Step 3
Dice the pork
Pat pork dry and cut into 1 cm dice, distributing lean and fatty pieces evenly.
Step 4
Cut the aromatics
Finely dice onion, mince garlic, thinly slice trimmed chillies and squeeze the calamansi, removing seeds.
Step 5
Mix the finishing sauce
Combine soy sauce, mayonnaise, sugar, black pepper and calamansi juice; set aside.
Step 6
Heat the pan
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and coat the surface.
Step 7
Sear the first batch
Spread half the pork in one layer and sear 3 to 4 minutes, turning until browned on several sides; remove.
Step 8
Sear the second batch
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and brown the remaining pork in the same way.
Step 9
Fry onion, garlic and chilli
Add garlic, chillies and two thirds of the onion; toss for 1 minute until fragrant while onion remains crisp.
Step 10
Return and toss
Return the first pork batch and toss over high heat for 1 minute until every piece is hot.
Step 11
Season off heat
Turn off the heat, add finishing sauce and remaining raw onion, and toss so mayonnaise does not split or calamansi turn bitter.
Step 12
Check and serve
The thickest pork piece must remain at 63°C with at least a 3-minute rest; plate immediately and serve hot.
Common mistakes
- Cutting the pork before it reaches a safe temperature.
- Failing to dry pork so it steams instead of browning.
- Crowding all the pork into one batch and cooling the pan.
- Cooking calamansi and mayonnaise over high heat until bitter and split.
Tips
Simmer, cool and dry pork before dicing, then sear in two batches for browned edges. Add calamansi juice and mayonnaise only after turning off the heat to retain fresh acidity.
