Tuslob buwa

A bubbling pan of brain and liver kept boiling at the table while rice is dipped into it.

Pork. Not vegetarian — contains pork.

Ingredients

• 400 g pig's brain
• 300 g pork liver, finely chopped
• 12 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 200 ml water
• 6 siling labuyo, chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 portions of rice, in banana leaf parcels

Method

1. IT IS SERVED STILL BOILING AND IT IS NEVER TAKEN OFF THE HEAT. The froth on top is the dish -- that is what the name is about -- and it collapses within a minute of the pan cooling. So this is cooked in front of whoever is eating it, in a shallow pan on a burner at the table, and rice is dipped straight in.
2. Soak the brain in cold water 30 minutes, then peel the thin membrane and the visible blood vessels off it with your fingers. Left on, the membrane is rubbery and the vessels taste metallic.
3. Mash the brain roughly with a fork. It should be lumpy, not smooth.
4. Fry the garlic in the oil over a medium heat until pale gold, 3 minutes. A great deal of garlic, and it is the only aromatic that matters here.
5. Onion in, 3 minutes. Liver in, 3 minutes, just until it loses its raw colour.
6. Soy sauce and water in, brought to a boil.
7. BRAIN IN LAST and stirred through. It thickens the pan within a minute and starts to froth. Keep it at a brisk bubble.
8. Chillies and pepper in. Taste and add soy rather than salt.
9. Keep it bubbling and let people dip. Top it up with a splash of water if it thickens past dipping consistency, which it will.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes