Paklay is not for the faint of heart. This Visayan dish focuses on using different cow and pig innards as its main ingredient. If you personally think that you are adventurous enough to take on exotic dishes, then this is perfect for you.
When it comes to eating exotic food, many Filipinos are proud that they can do it. Well, of course, we are. We are well-known all over the world for our famous balut, right? Even foreigners get amazed by how we can handle foods as exotic as that. Thus, some Filipinos may even consider paklay as a tolerable exotic dish.
As much as possible, I would not try cooking this kind of food from my children yet. I can already imagine the horror on their faces when they realize what it is made of. So far, my husband and I are the ones who can eat foods like this at times. We have long been a part of this Filipino custom anyway, that it is nothing new to us. Plus, it is exciting to get to eat such food once in a while. We have no issues with them because all of them actually taste delicious, including this recipe.
Tips How to Cook Paklay
- Boil the innards such as pig heart, liver and ox tripe for more than 60 minutes until tender.
- Adding vinegar and other aromatics when boiling the innards will help to kill the bacteria.
- When boiling the innards, make sure you remove the scums that float.
- Not a fan of innards? Add some pork meat and beef instead. This way you can still enjoy the goodness of the dish despite not being a fan of exotic ingredients.
- It is essential to put annatto liquid to add more color to the stew.
This paklay recipe is perfect for cold and rainy weather. But there is nothing wrong with cooking it on a normal day too. Try giving it a go and maybe you’ll consider it as a comfort food one of these days.
Recipe
Paklay Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 thumb-size ginger cut into strips
- 1 small red bell pepper julienned
- 3 tbsp vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup bamboo shoots cut into strips
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tbsp annatto powder diluted in ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 pc green thai chili
For Boiling the Innards
- 6 cups water
- 250 g ox tripe
- 250 g pork liver
- 200 g pig heart
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 1 thumb-size ginger chopped
- 7 pcs star anise
- 10 pcs dried bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot with water, combine the pork liver, pig heart and ox tripe. Add the vinegar, ginger, star anise and dried bay leaves. Cover then turn the stove into medium heat. Cook for 60 minutes or until the innards are tender. Remove the scums that floats.
- Once cooked, remove from the pot and let it cool. Cut into long strips then set aside.
- In a large wok or pan over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and sauté the garlic, onion and ginger until soft and translucent. Add the red bell pepper and sliced innards then sauté for at least 5 minutes.
- Pour the vinegar, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Add the bamboo shoots, ¼ cup water and annatto liquid (1 ½ tbsp annatto powder diluted in ¼ cup water). Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Add the chili and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and transfer into a serving bowl. Enjoy with hot steamed rice or as pulutan.
Danielle says
Paklay is one of my favourite dish, It's clear to me before I can only eat this dish every birthdays my family that's why I eat this with enormous amount 😋
doel says
I'll try this tomorrow... then I'll try cooking paklay with creole seasoning