Pinapaitan is a bold Ilocano-style beef offal soup with tamarind sourness, chile heat, and a clean bitterness drawn from ampalaya.
1 hour 10 minutes · Serves 8
Ingredients for Pinapaitan
600 g ox tripe, cleaned, cooked, and sliced into small pieces
250 g beef heart, sliced into small pieces
250 g beef liver, sliced into small pieces
250 g beef brisket, sliced into small pieces
3 medium bitter gourds, seeded and sliced into large chunks
1 large packet sinigang mix or tamarind mix
1 to 1.5 liters beef stock
1/2 cup cane vinegar
1 whole garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece ginger, crushed and finely sliced
2 medium red onions, chopped
6 green finger chilies or siling haba, left whole
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Fish sauce, to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Oil, for sauteing
How to cook Pinapaitan
1.Place the sliced beef liver in the cane vinegar and marinate for 30 minutes while preparing the aromatics and other meats.
2.Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic, ginger, and red onion until aromatic and softened.
3.Add the ox tripe, beef heart, and beef brisket, keeping the liver aside. Stir-fry for about 1 minute, just until the meat surfaces brown lightly.
4.Pour in the beef stock, then add the bitter gourd chunks and whole green chilies. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes.
5.Drain the vinegar from the liver and discard the vinegar. Remove the bitter gourd chunks from the pot, blend them until smooth, then strain the puree through a fine sieve or muslin cloth back into the pot, rinsing with hot stock to extract the bitterness while keeping the broth clear.
6.Stir in the sinigang mix gradually, tasting so the sourness stays balanced. Add the marinated liver and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the liver is just cooked through.
7.Season with fish sauce, salt if needed, cayenne pepper, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot while the broth is sharp, bitter, and savory.
