Hello Everyone! I’ll start of with a question for all of you this morning:

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

When I was still working in Brunei for the past few years, I would kicking off my day with breakfast by 6:30am which is usually either a bowl of oatmeal with fruits, bread with whatever spread was available (most likely peanut butter), pancakes, or instant noodles. Whichever it was for that day, none of these would last me until my noon lunch break. At most, I could only last until about 10:00am (and that’s already pushing it). The rest of the two hours, I usually sit at my desk dreaming of lunch and unfortunately continue to have an unproductive latter part of the morning.

Filipinos and most Asians in general love to eat rice in almost every meal, including breakfast. Rice provides more energy and keeps us full and focused longer – but as a kid, my siblings and I were never brought up on having rice for breakfast. Even having been back in the Philippines for just over two months now, not once did we have rice for breakfast. The –silogs you’ll be seeing for this month on Amcarmen’s Kitchen is actually breakfast for dinner *cheeky grin*

Here’s another question for you, especially to all my kabayans out there:

What’s your favourite type of longganisa?

The great thing about longganisa is that they come in many variations depending on the province they originate from, but nonetheless are all mouth-watering breakfast delights. Provinces such as Vigan, Lucban, Tuguegarao, Cabanatuan, Alaminos, Cebu, Camlumpit, Bacolod, Pampanga, Guinobatan, and many more boast of their own unique blend of ingredients that is specific to their region that goes into the making of their longganisa. For example, what makes Vigan Longganisa so popular is its garlicky and sour notes that come from the combination of Ilocos sugar cane vinegar (sukang Iloko) and local garlic from Sinait which are both major products of the Vigan province.

I have yet to try all the types of longganisa around the Philippines, but to date, my long-time favourite is most definitely the Lucban Longganisa! They are very popular for their aromatic and garlicky smell! If you happen to visit the province of Lucban, Quezon, you will definitely not miss this longganisa because it is displayed in the markets, and even along the roads in the many parts of the town. The best part? I don’t have to travel all the way to Lucban, or wait for a relative to bring some back as pasalubong – I can now find freshly made ones at our local weekend produce market, and I even spotted some at our local grocers too! Additionally, they’re not that hard to make at home yourself!

Longganisa is definitely a very popular Filipino breakfast staple that is best paired with sinangag (garlicky fried rice), fried egg, and a spicy (optional) vinegar dipping sauce for added taste on the side.

Homemade Lucban Longganisa

(Original recipe from Panlasang Pinoy)

PREP TIME 1 HOUR* | COOKING TIME — | MAKES 2 DOZEN SAUSAGES

*Plus 8 to 12 hours of refrigeration time before cooking

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg ground lean pork belly or shoulder**
• 1/2 cup cane vinegar
• 4 tbsp pork fat, cut into small cubes
• 3 tbsp garlic, minced
• 7 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
• 4 tsp rock salt
• 2 tsp white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Dried hog casing or sausage casing (about 1-inch in diameter)

**Or you can just buy lean ground pork if you don’t like to grind the meat yourself.

METHOD

1. Add the ground pork, pork fat, salt, smoked paprika, garlic, oregano, sugar, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly until well combine. Set it aside for about 30 minutes for the flavours to fully develop and infuse into the meat.
2. Soak the dried hog casing in warm water for about 3 minutes. Tie the first end of the casing and stuff using a funnel or a sausage stuffer with the meat mixture. Make links of longganisa about 2 to 3 inches apart or depending on how long you want your longganisa to be.
3. Refrigerate for at least 8 to 12 hours before cooking or you can store it in the freezer.

Lucban Longsilog

PREP TIME 20 MINS | COOKING TIME 30 MINS | SERVES 3

INGREDIENTS

• 1 dozen homemade or store-bought lonnganisa

To serve with

• Garlicky fried rice
• Fried sunny-side up egg
• Spicy vinegar

METHOD

1. Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high. Add about a quarter cup of water to the pan together with the longganisa. Bring the water to a boil. Roll the longganisa occasionally and continue to boil until the water in the pan evaporates.
2. When the water has fully evaporated, let the longganisa fry in its own oil. Continue to fry the longganisa for about 5 minutes while constantly rolling them around to cook evenly on all sides. When the longganisa is slightly crisp on the outside, it’s done!
3. Serve hot with garlicky fried rice and fried egg – browned and crispy on the edges with a golden liquidy yolk is how I like my fried eggs.

Before I end today’s post, yes I am fully aware that it’s not a Wednesday night yet, but this recipe was supposed to go up last Wednesday. At the time I was actually back in Brunei for a couple of days to tie up some loose ends. I got home late that night (well okay, at 9pm) but was super exhausted from the events of that day that I just passed out when I hit the sheets. So anyway, I’m getting this up now so that I can get tomorrow’s scheduled post up on time (hopefully).

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx