Here’s a dish which quickly became a staple in any night out with friends or family that includes any kind of alcohol—the Bopis.
It can be compared to the more popular and favorite sisig, but this one is more bold when it comes to the flavors and is a bit more daring because of the unusual and gamy ingredients it contains.
With proper cooking, this can be one of the tastiest dishes you will eat. So learn how to make the bopis now!
What is Bopis?
Bopis is a popular Filipino dish that is seemingly unusual but is actually common, because it is made of minced pork lungs—sometimes along with pig heart—vinegar, carrots, and garlic and onions.
It is known that the bopis actually has some hints of Spanish origin. The dish has evolved to what it is now, but unfortunately, the term bopis and its meaning can no longer be traced.
Pampanga-Style Bopis or Pulutok
Pampanga has their own unique style of cooking bopis wherein they fry the meat in the pan until the crisp. While cooking, the meat makes popping sounds thus coined the name “pulutok”. This type of bopis is more toasted and more flavorful.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pork Lungs
As mentioned earlier, bopis is primarily made of pork lungs. Don’t worry if you don’t have any idea in preparing the pork lungs, you could always ask the butcher in the meat shop, just tell them it is for bopis.
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, chili, annatto powder, fish sauce, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking pan (Kawali)- This is a one pan dish and you will be using a regular pan or kawali to cook bopis. You can also use any frying pan or skillet that is deep enough to contain the contents of this recipe.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Bopis
The bopis can be quite confusing sometimes because each recipe might seem so different from the other, when looking it up. But it is also essentially the same, so if you find the one that you know you prefer and you like, just stick to it.
For this recipe, it is a straightforward process of cooking the bopis, so don’t even worry about it.
Once you get all of the ingredients you do not need to do anything fancy or confusing so it will just be a breeze.
But if you’re not currently in the Philippines, do take note that you need to prepare in advance because finding pork lungs in the market might be hard since it is not a common ingredient in some countries.
The first thing you might notice when dealing with the pork lungs is its pungent odor and its gamy smell and taste. Sure, you can prepare the dish as you would normally cook it, but it might result in a sour taste and an odor-y dish, so your priority should be to reduce that smell and that taste.
Despite all the extra effort needed to make this dish, you know it will be satisfying to eat and that it is really good because once you have them all cooking together, the smell and the taste will all come together.
Cooking Tips
- Make sure to plan in advance when trying to make the bopis. This recipe makes use of pig lungs or pork lungs, which are not always available in the market, and even then, they also need to be cleaned properly so it requires extra time to prepare.
- Another thing about the pork lungs is that it tends to have a strong odor, so a good tip for that is to boil them first. You can use plain old water and put some lemongrass or pandan in it to counteract the smell.
- When pouring in the vinegar into the cooking pot when you’re cooking the pork lungs, it is advisable that you let the vinegar settle and seep into the pork first, as it helps eliminate the distinct sour taste of the pork lungs.
- The acid of the vinegar helps break down that raw flavor.
How to Serve Bopis
Bopis is a main dish and it is usually served with freshly cooked white rice for lunch or dinner. It is also popularly served as a pica-pica or pulutan with beer or hard liquor. You can still add another meat or vegetable dish with this and don’t forget to pair it with a cool drink like juices, iced tea, or sodas.
How to Store and Reheat Bopis
In case you have leftovers, transfer to a clean food container with lid. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, you can either use a microwave oven or in a wide pan, where you need to stir continuously until heated through.
Other Unusual Meat Dishes
- Easy Dinakdakan Recipe
- Ginataang Kalabaw (Carabeef in Coconut Milk) Recipe
- Kinunot Na Pagi (Flaked Stingray in Coconut Cream) Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Authentic Bopis Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork lungs, minced
- 1 pc medium-sized onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ thumb ginger, minced
- 1 pc medium-sized carrot, chopped
- 2 pcs chili pepper, chopped
- 2 tbsp annatto powder
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ cup vinegar
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a cooking pan, pour in and heat the cooking oil and the annatto powder over medium heat.
- Add in the garlic, onions, and ginger. Saute until soft and aromatic.
- Add in the chili peppers. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the porks lungs. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned.
- Pour in the vinegar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pork lungs are tender and sizzling.
- Add in the carrots. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a serving plate or serving tray. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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