Vigan Longganisa Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean pork meat, finely chopped
• 1 lb pork fat, diced
• 1 ½ heads garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• ⅓ tsp ground bay leaf or 1 leaf finely chopped
• ¼ tsp salitre (saltpeter)
• sausage casing or 3 tbsp cornstarch if using skinless method

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except casing and let stand for 1 hour.
2. Fill casing w/ mixture.
3. Twist and tie ends of casing with kitchen cord to form a link of sausage (usually at every 4 inches interval).
4. Put mixture in a container with lid and cure in the refrigerator for 2-5 days. Best kept in chiller. Another curing method is to hang sausages above brick oven for 3-5 days.
5. To cook, put desired amount of sausages in a skillet.
6. Add ½ to 1 cup of water to come up to about ½ inch of skillet.
7. Let simmer over medium heat until water evaporates, about 10 minutes. Prick sausages with fork.
8. Stir-fry in its own fat for 3-5 minutes or until sausage is caramelized or skin turns reddish brown. Add a little oil if necessary.
9. Serve hot with garlic rice, sunny side up or scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes with spicy vinegar on the side.
10. * For skinless method, add cornstarch to mixture, roll desired amount of mixture into balls using your hands, then roll mixture to form short sausages. Arrange side by side each other in a container with lid or wrap individually in wax paper. Keep covered and refrigerate for 3-5 days to cure before frying.