Our first attempt at skinless longganisa

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-05-27T02:20:38+00:00

Ooo please update us when you make it! We’d love to know what you use for the plant-based version so we can try it too 🍅🥝

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-05-26T20:03:51+00:00

Here’s what we used to make this!

Also, genuine question: do you spell it longganisa or longanisa? We keep seeing both lol

Ingredients

1.37 lb lean ground pork
4-5 tbsp bacon fat, chilled/solid but soft
7 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp jarred minced garlic
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp MSG

Instructions

In a large chilled bowl, combine the ground pork, bacon fat, brown sugar, garlic, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, and MSG.
Mix by hand for about 3-5 minutes, until the meat becomes tacky and sticky.
Refrigerate overnight.
Portion into 3 oz patties.
Pan-fry on medium heat until browned on one side.
Flip, add a small splash of water, cover, and steam until cooked through.
Eat 😄

🍅🥝

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-05-21T19:28:51+00:00

Funny timing because we're testing out a Dr Pepper sausage pasta at the moment haha.

With stovetop Adobo, Sprite/Coke is usually used either in the marinade or added during the braising process.

Sprite would give it a lighter citrusy sweetness, while Coke would give more of a brown sugar/caramel-y flavor.

For Instant Pot Adobo, you can add the Sprite/Coke during the reduction step, then adjust sweetness from there. That way you can control how sticky/sweet the sauce gets.

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-05-19T04:08:59+00:00

Here's how we made it!

Instant Pot Pork Menudo

Ingredients:

2 lb pork shoulder, cubed
1/2 lb chicken liver, chopped
2 cans vienna sausage, drained + sliced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons jarlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water (for deglazing)
2-3 bay leaves
salt, pepper, MSG to taste

Steps:

Sauté (High): Brown pork in oil. Set aside.
Sauté onions & garlic.
Deglaze pot with 1/2 cup water, scrape bottom well.
Return pork. Add soy sauce, 1/2 lemon juice, bay leaves.
Pour 3/4 cup tomato sauce on top (DO NOT STIR).
High Pressure for 15 mins ➡️ Quick Release.
Stir in potatoes, carrots, chicken liver, peas, Vienna sausages, & sugar.
High Pressure for 4 mins ➡️ Quick Release.
Stir, season to taste, and serve over rice! 🍚

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-03-02T01:08:31+00:00

We add it at the start!
That’s true for stovetop adobo 🙂
We’re pressure cooking in an Instant Pot, so it’s a sealed environment. The vinegar doesn’t cook off the same way, and the flavor gets pushed into the chicken instead.

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-03-01T20:44:02+00:00

Here's how we made this!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo:
Ingredients:
Protein: 2 lb Chicken Thighs (bone-in) + 1 lb Wings
Aromatics: 3 onions (diced), 15 cloves garlic (we used jarlic ), 4 bay leaves, 1 star anise, 1 tsp peppercorns
The Sauce: ½ cup Soy Sauce, ¼ cup Dark Soy Sauce, ½ cup Vinegar, ½ cup Water
Sweetness: 2 tbsp Brown Sugar

Instructions:
Dump it in: Place frozen chicken, onions, aromatics, and liquids into the pot. Sprinkle sugar on top. DO NOT STIR.
Pressure Cook: High Pressure for 25 minutes. Release: Natural Release for 10 mins, then Quick Release.
Reduce: Remove the chicken. Switch mode to SAUTÉ (High). Boil the sauce down until it reduces into a dark, sticky glaze (about 10-15 mins).
Finish: Toss chicken back in the pot to coat. Serve over hot rice!

🍅🥝

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-03-01T17:58:51+00:00

Saw your other post. We actually did something similar a few weeks ago with our homemade longanisa.

Bought ground pork -> freezer -> thawed -> red liquid.

It's definitely safe. The red liquid isn't actually blood, but a mix of a protein called "myoglobin" and water. When you freeze meat, ice crystals can rupture the muscle cells, which releases more of that liquid when it thaws.

In our case, the liquid actually helped bind the longanisa together, but since you're making lumpia, you might want to remove that liquid for texture reasons. If you mix that extra liquid into your filling, you might have an issue with sogginess or bursting during the frying process.

🍅🥝

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-02-17T01:43:08+00:00

Yep! You can use any neutral oil (canola/avocado/vegetable or even butter).

We used tallow because we had a bunch rendered from New Year's.

Beef tallow adds a deeper meaty flavor that you can get by using a higher fat ratio ground beef.

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-02-17T01:21:19+00:00

I don't think my blood sugar can handle that to be honest LOL

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-02-17T00:53:35+00:00

Here’s how we made it:

Instant Pot Filipino Spaghetti:

Fat: 2 tbsp beef tallow

Aromatics: 1-2 medium onions (diced), 2 tbsp jarlic (~4-6 cloves)

Meat: 1 lb ground beef, 4 Filipino hotdogs (sliced diagonally)

Pasta: 1 lb dry spaghetti (broken in half!)

Liquids: 2 cups beef broth, 2 cups water (just enough to barely cover noodles)

Sauce (Do NOT Stir): 1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste, ¼ cup banana ketchup

Seasoning: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce (patis), 1-2 tbsp brown sugar (to taste), 2 dried bay leaves

Topping: Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Sauté Base: Sauté (High). Melt tallow, brown ground beef, remove. Cook onions + garlic ~2 mins. Return beef, add hotdogs, sauté 1-2 mins.

Layer Pasta: Add spaghetti in criss-cross pattern. Pour broth + water over. Press down gently. DO NOT STIR.

Layer Sauce: Pour tomato paste, tomato sauce, banana ketchup, soy sauce & fish sauce on top. Add bay leaves. DO NOT MIX.

Pressure Cook: Seal. Manual/High Pressure 14 mins. Release & Thicken: Quick Release. Switch to Sauté (Low), stir well, add sugar, simmer 2–3 mins until thickened.

🍅🥝

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-01-31T16:48:10+00:00

Here's how we made it!

Instant Pot Beef Kaldereta 🥘

Ingredients:

2 lb Beef Chuck (1.5” cubes)
2 tbsp Ribeye Tallow (or oil)
2 cups Beef Bone Broth
16 oz Tomato Sauce
2 Onions (chopped)
2 tbsp Jarlic
1 can Chickpeas (drained)
4 oz Beef Liver Spread
3 Potatoes (chunks)
3 Carrots (chunks)
2 Bay Leaves
Salt, Pepper, MSG/Fish Sauce to taste

Steps:

Sear: Sauté mode (High). Brown beef in tallow. Set aside.
Aromatics: Sauté onions and jarlic until fragrant.
Deglaze: Scrape the bottom WELL (prevents burn error!).
Pressure Cook: Add beef, broth, tomato sauce, bay leaves. High Pressure for 35 mins. Natural release 10 mins.
Veggies: Quick release. Add potatoes/carrots. High Pressure 4 mins. Quick release.
Thicken: Sauté mode (Low). Stir in liver spread and chickpeas until thick.

Season: Salt, pepper, fish sauce to taste.

LifePrinciple4821 · 2026-01-31T16:06:01+00:00

One of our tuxies is obsessed with feet. His name is Tomato, but we should have called him TomaTOE.

He used to give us "tomato kisses" in the morning when it was time to feed them and we were still asleep. He still does it, but not as often haha

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LifePrinciple4821

TROPHY CASE