Tosilog

Tosilog is a popular Filipino breakfast meal. The name tosilog was derived from the different components of the meal which are: Tocino (cured pork), Sinangag (Filipino garlic fried rice), and Sunny-side up egg. Tosilog is best eaten with a spicy vinegar dip.

First I will show you how to marinade the Tocino. Try this easy and simple pork tocino recipe for that sweet, savory and tender tocino.

Tocino is typically a cured meat, may it be pork, beef or chicken. The more popular kind of tocino is sweet, but us Kapampangan have a special kind called 'Pindang' which has added tanginess to it.

The process of making tocino varies, but to achieve that soft and tender meat, Kapampangans mix all the ingredients together by hand for 3-5 hours then leave it covered overnight at room temperature before putting it in the fridge.

If you have the patience and time to do all that mixing, I suggest you do it sitting down, like while watching TV or reading a book.And do not forget to use gloves! The longest that I have tried mixing a batch was for an hour and that was me being very patient! But I think it actually works! The meat was really soft and tender!

Traditionally, Tocino is reddish in color to make it look more appetizing and this is achieved by adding Saltpeter (Salitre) which is also used as food preservative. But this recipe does not use saltire but rather something more natural and healthier alternative. Alternatively, natural red food color may also be used or just skip it, totally up to you.

HOW TO COOK TOCINO?

The way to cook Tocino is first boil it in about 1-2 cups of water in a pan. When most of the water is gone and sauce starts to thicken, you can add cooking oil.If your pork has enough fats on it, then no need to add oil as it will make its own but if not then add 3-4 tablespoon of cooking oil.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds pork 900grams (butt, shoulder, ham or belly) - cut into ¼ inch thin

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons salt

3 cloves garlic - finely minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2cup fruit juice, (pineapple, apple) (optional)

1/2 tablespoons finely ground black pepper

natural red food color (optional) or 6 tablespoon of banana ketchup (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.In a big bowl, combine all ingredients except for the pork slices. Mix until well blended.

2.Add the pork and mix using the hand, use hand gloves to avoid stains. Mix for several minutes to an hour.

3.Transfer to a container with a cover and let it sit overnight on the counter.

4.Mix again for a couple of times before putting in the fridge. Cure for 24 hours or up to 3 days. Can be frozen afterwards and stored longer.

For the tosilog recipe :

1 lb. uncooked tocino

3 cups sinangag

3 sunny-side up eggs

2 cups water

1/4 cup cooking oil

Instructions :

1.Boil the water in a cooking pot.

2.Once the water starts to boil, pour-in the cooking oil and add the uncooked tocino. Boil in medium heat until the water evaporates.

3.Once the water completely evaporate, the oil will be left behind. Let one side of the tocino cook in oil for 3 minutes. Flip the tocino and cook the other side for the same time.

4.Arrange the cooked tocino with the eggs in individual plates.

5.Meanwhile, remove the excess oil in the cooking pot where the tocino was cooked. Heat the same pot and put-in the sinangag. Cook the fried rice for 1 minute while tossing. The residue from the tocino will stick to the fried rice making it more tasty.

6.Arrange the fried rice with the tocino in individual plates.

7.Serve with spiced vinegar.