BATCHOY RECIPE - SPECIAL BATCHOY SECRET

How to make Batchoy?

Special Batchoy - Yummy!

This is another signature dish from the Visayas, a group of islands scattered between the main islands of Luzon and Mindanao.

Though this rich noodle soup—made with pork, chicken, and shrimp and topped with crushed pork rind—is enjoyed all across the country, the authentic version is found in La Paz, Iloilo Province.

This Iloilo version includes egg noodles, whereas other regions leave the noodles out, making a less hearty but nevertheless satisfying meal.

Serves 4 to 6 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

Special Batchoy Recipe
8 cups (2 liters) water
1/3 lb (150 g) bone-in or 1/4 lb (125 g) boneless pork butt or loin
1/4 lb (125 g) pork or chicken liver
1 chicken breast, preferably bone-in
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife and minced
1 onion, finely sliced
One 2-in (5-cm) piece ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1/4 lb (125 g) fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon bottled sautéed shrimp paste (page 16)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
8 oz (240 g) fresh Chinese egg noodles or fettucine or 4 oz (100 g) dried ramen noodles
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes
4 green onions (scallions), finely sliced
4 tablespoons Fried Garlic (page 23)
1/2 cup (70 g) fried pork rinds, coarsely crushed

Bring the water to a boil in a stockpot. Add the pork, liver, and chicken then cook over high heat for 15 minutes. Skim off the fat.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the pork, chicken, and liver. Reserve the broth. Shred the meat using two forks—one to hold the meat secure on a cutting board and the other to pull the meat into shreds. Slice the liver thinly. Set aside the shredded meat and sliced liver.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the ginger and sauté for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully remove them from the skillet, keeping as much oil in the skillet as possible, and set aside.

In the same skillet, sauté the shredded pork and chicken over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the shrimp and sauté for 5 minutes more. Set aside.

Add the sautéed garlic and ginger to the broth in the stockpot. Bring to a boil and add the salt, fish sauce, sautéed shrimp paste and sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and add the noodles. Simmer until the noodles are soft— about 10 minutes for dried noodles and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh noodles.

Add the pepper.

Ladle the broth and noodles into individual bowls. Top with the sautéed pork and chicken and sliced liver. Sprinkle on the scallions, fried garlic and fried pork rinds. Serve hot.