Menudo



 

Ingredients :
~ Approximately 2 lbs. of pork (belly, shoulder or boneless ribs), cubed to about 1 to 1 1/2 inches
~ 2 onions, chopped
~ 1 garlic head (or 6-8 cloves), peeled and crushed (or minced)

~ 2 medium potatoes

~ 2 dried bay leaves

~ 1 16 oz. can tomato sauce

~ *bottled roasted bell peppers, jullienned

~ *frozen peas (any desired amount)

~ *bottled green olives

~ *bottled capers

~ lemon

~ **2 tbsp. fish sauce

*Optional: The amount of these vegetables may vary according to taste. The preserved juices in these bottled items may also be added.

**You may replace fish sauce with soy sauce (start with 1 tbsp.) and a little lemon juice (2 teaspoons). You can adjust the taste to your liking.

Directions:
Place the pork cubes in a large pan and cook for about 45 minutes on medium heat, adjusting heat when necessary, and stirring frequently. Add garlic and onions and sauté. Continue to cook until the pork has browned (but not fried all the way) and the onions have carmelized.

Add the potatoes, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender (roughly 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Add the tomato sauce, roasted bell peppers, peas, green olives, capers, a dash of lemon, fish sauce, and ½ cup of water. Cover and simmer on low heat until the pork is tender. Add more water, if necessary, to keep it from drying up.  

 
Adjust the seasoning (soy sauce/fish sauce, lemon) to your taste. If it seems tart, sprinkle just a little bit of brown sugar to balance the flavor. It should just be a perfect balance of sweet, tart and salty.