Batchoy Tagalog

Last week, my best partner in kitchen (read: my husband) visited one of their projects for a site inspection. It was almost lunch time when they finished the inspection so he decided to have lunch with some of the workers at a nearby canteen. He ordered a noodle soup with pork blood and found himself sipping the soup to its last drop. When he arrived home, he told me about his dining experience on that eatery and brought up the idea of duplicating the dish. 

At first, I thought he was referring to La Paz Batchoy, but when he said it has pork blood and uses misua, I realized I don’t have any idea what he is talking about. Hence, I made my research and learned that the soup he had for lunch is called Batchoy Tagalog. Don't make any mistake! Although both dishes use noodles, pork strips, and pork innards, Batchoy Tagalog is very much different from La Paz Batchoy of Iloilo. 

So, how do they differ? A philosophical answer would be “The name!” Well, obviously… But seriously, I see three basic differences. First, Batchoy Tagalog uses misua noodles while La Paz Batchoy uses miki noodles. Second, pork blood is added in Batchoy Tagalog, which La Paz Batchoy does not have. Lastly, La Paz Batchoy is garnished with spring onions and toasted garlic before it is served. 

Here is how to prepare Batchoy Tagalog. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients:

1/4 kg. pork tenderloin
1/4 kg. pork liver
2 cups fresh pork blood
2 tbsp. cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled and julienned
1 medium onion, sliced
3 medium-sized finger chilis, sliced
3 cups water or pork broth
3-4 bunches of misua noodles
3 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

Procedure:

1. Slice pork tenderloin, pork liver and pork innards into strips.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Saute ginger, garlic, and onion.
4. Add pork tenderloin and pork innards. Cook until meat changes its color.
5. Pour the broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pork is tender.
6. Add pork liver. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Pour the pork blood. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
8. Season with patis and pepper.
9. Add finger chili and misua nodles. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Serve while hot.