Allegedly, sisig was invented by the late Lucia Cunanan, fondly known as Aling Lucing. The La Paz, Tarlac native started a small food business in 1974 where she became the so-called “re-inventor” of sisig, which was already popular during her time. Her recipe was very well-received that it reached national status and became the food icon it is today.

With that, sisig is like adobo for Filipinos: it has different variations, and depending on where you stand geographically, ingredients can change to squid, bangus belly, or even tofu. But wherever you go, one fact about sisig remains the same: the sizzling dish is best served with an ice-cold beer.

Ingredients:

• 500g pig’s face (a generous combination of ears, snout, and cheeks) finely chopped
• 1kg pork belly, finely chopped
• 100g chicken liver
• 3 tbsp pig or oxbrain (alternatively, you can use mayonnaise to serve as the binding ingredient)
• 1 onion, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp chili flakes
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 raw egg (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Marinade ingredients:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup calamansi juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Procedure:

• Marinate the pork belly and face in the marinade for at least 40 minutes up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Do not discard the marinade.
• At this point, you are free to use whichever cooking method you prefer to cook the meat for the first time. You can grill or broil it, fry it, or boil it (not recommended). Whichever method you prefer, cook the pork until tender. Set aside.
• In a wide frying pan, melt the butter or margarine and cook the onion and garlic until soft.
• Add the meat mixture and follow it with the chicken liver. While in the pan, crush the chicken liver and cook until fragrant.
• When the liver is fully cooked, pour the marinade and chili flakes into the pan to cover the entire mixture. Cook it dry.
• Right before service, mix in the brain or mayonnaise to bind the mixture together. Cook it completely and transfer to a bowl or sizzling plate. 
• Serve hot with raw egg and an ice-cold beer.

Serves 2