The pork-and-liver dish in thick brown sauce is healthily garnished with vegetables in this version
THERE ARE DIFFERENT ways of cooking Ilocano?s quintessential igado, a pork-and-liver dish with thick brown sauce that?s perfectly seasoned and simply delicious.

Depending on what part of northern Luzon you come from (Ilocos province, Cagayan or Abra), igado is prepared in million ways?with lots of liver sauce; salty; bitter and sweet; dry and meaty (including pork lungs, heart and kidney); or drenched in lots of oil or tomato paste.

Chef Jerome Ragojos? version of igado is a bit on the salty side yet filled with a variety of vegetables?winged bean (sigarilyas), squash flowers, ampalaya and string beans

?Ilocanos take pride in their own version,? says Ragojos, who hails from Aparri, Cagayan, and kitchen manager of I Republik: Ilocandia Grill (G/F, CKB Center, Tomas Morato Ave. cor. Scout Rallos St., QC; tel. 3762674).

?Some use basi vinegar to marinate their pork innards or garnish the dish with lots of red bell pepper, snowpeas or eggplant. It?s always the cook?s preference. But, whatever it is, there?s always a basic way of preparing igado.?

Ragojos adds slices of potatoes into the meat dish for added crunch and bite. It has a bit of liver sauce and oil released by cooking, a sign that it?s done slowly and properly.

?Igado?

125 g pork lomo, tenderloin

125 g pork liver

10 g potatoes, strips (soaked in water)

5 g red or green bell pepper, strips

5 g garlic

5 g onion

5-8 ml soy sauce

5-8 ml fish sauce

5 ml corn oil or vegetable oil

1 tbsp

70 ml soup stock

1 tbsp liver sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

5 g winged bean (sigarilyas)

2 g ampalaya (alucon)

Eggplant

String beans

Squash flowers (bulaklak ng kalabasa)

For suggestions, e-mail the author at vbaga@inquirer.com.ph

Photo captions:

1. HEAT oil in pan. Add onion and garlic. Add potato.

2. MIX in pork lomo and liver. Carefully brown the pork. Season with fish sauce and soy sauce. Mix well.

3. ADD soup stock gradually. Let it simmer till potatoes are softened. Add bell pepper.

4. ADD liver sauce to thicken the mixture. If liquid dries out, keep adding soup stock, simmering over low heat until meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

5. BLANCH the veggies.

6. TRANSFER meat mixture onto a plate.

7. ARRANGE veggies on top.

8. ILOCANO Igado