Recipe: Unique Ilonggo Inadobong Kuwaho

MANILA, Philippines — Just when you think you know Ilonggo cuisine so well, you realize that you do not know half of it. Ilonggo cuisine is more than just Chicken Inasal, Laswa, and Kadios, Baboy and Langka (KBL). It is also about special heirloom dishes such as the Inadobong Kuwaho sa Achuete.

Kuwaho is beef rectum and, according to popular Ilonggo chef Rafael "Tibong" Jardeleza Jr., tastes just like other intestines or innards (ofal) that are best enjoyed in nilaga (boiled dish). It is a rare part because it is just a small part of the intestines or what Ilonggos call sangkap.

You can only buy kuwaho if you buy other parts of the intestines for nilaga that we call sangkap. Sangkap means ingredients, and so the sangkap for nilaga includes the heart, spleen, tripe, large and small intestines, and the kuwaho.

Inadobong Kuwaho sa Achuete

INGREDIENTS: 

1 kg. beef kuwaho (beef rectum)

4 tbsps. achuete oil

1 bulb garlic, chopped

1 pc. small red onion, chopped

1 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsps. tuba vinegar

3 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. muscovado sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE: 

1. Wash kuwaho thoroughly. Boil it with salt and pepper until very tender. Let cool, then slice kuwaho into 1/2-inch thick slices.

2. Let dry, then fry until golden brown. Set aside.

3. In a hot cooking pot, pour in the achuete oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until golden brown. Add the fried kuwaho and sauté for about 5 minutes.

4. Add tuba vinegar, soy sauce and water. Add bay leaf and muscovado sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce has fully coated the meat. Drizzle with fried garlic just before serving.

6. To make the achuete oil, simply fry the achuete seeds in oil until the oil turns orange. Do not over-fry. Strain to separate the seeds from the oil. Discard the seeds.

RELATED: Ilonggo heritage cookbook featuring Chef Tibong Jardeleza's recipes launched