Rex De Guzman wants Brits to eat more Filipino food. While Indian curries and Thai stir-fries are common in our kitchens these days, he’s all about driving us to include Filipino cooking in our repertoires.
He’s been bringing Filipino food to Londoners for more than a decade, first with a series of pop-ups, then with the 2024 launch of his restaurant Turo Turo in Tooting (which he opened in partnership with Filipino American Black Eyed Peas musician Apl.De.Ap). Now, he’s encouraging us to get interactive, with the launch of his debut cookbook Kamayan: The Filipino Cookbook. His hope? That home cooks realise Filipino cooking – which he says is “often referred to as the ‘original fusion food’ due to the many influences brought about by trade and colonialism” – can be “simple and accessible”. As Apl.De.Ap writes in the foreword: “He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t just cook; he’s on a mission”.
This recipe for lechon pork belly sisig – like a Filipino fried pork hash with onions and egg – is a great starting point for those looking to get involved with Filipino cooking. “Pork sisig is often hailed as the ultimate Filipino drinking food, or pulutan,” De Guzman writers. “Originating from Pampanga, it was traditionally made using pork offal. This version captures the signature moreish, tangy and savoury flavours of sisig while cutting down on time by making clever use of leftover roast pork or lechon belly. It’s a true reflection of Filipino resourcefulness – transforming humble ingredients into something irresistibly delicious.”
Rex De Guzman’s lechon pork belly sisig
Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20–30 minutes
Ingredients
200g chicken liver
Vegetable oil, for frying
500g leftover roast pork belly
250g white or red onions, diced
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
30g salted butter
2 eggs (optional)
3 tbsp sliced spring onions
2 tbsp finely chopped red chilli (optional)
Sawsawan (dipping sauce)
60ml light soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 red bird’s eye chillies, seeds in, chopped
Method
Fry the chicken livers in a hot pan with a little oil for 2–3 minutes on each side until caramelised and just cooked. Remove from the pan and let it cool. Once cooled, finely chop the liver, place it into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Using a sharp knife or cleaver, slice the leftover pork belly into strips, then roughly chop the pork into a fine dice and place into the same mixing bowl. Add the diced onion, lemon juice and ground black pepper to the mixing bowl to form a sisig hash mixture.
Heat a suitable-sized grill pan or frying pan with a drizzle of vegetable oil.
Fry the sisig for 4–7 minutes, stirring regularly until lightly browned and starting to crisp. Be careful, as the pan may spit hot oil or fat.
Add the butter and allow it to foam. If using eggs, make a well in the centre of the pan and crack the eggs in. Allow them to cook for 1 minute.
To make the sawsawan, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Serve immediately, garnished with the spring onions, chopped chilli and the sawsawan on the side to spoon over the sisig for added flavour and heat. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Kamayan by Rex De Guzman is published by Penguin Books, RRP £28.
