Bopis

Bopis is a spicy Filipino dish made from minced pig’s lungs and heart. This can be served as an appetizer for beer and alcoholic beverages; it is also considered as a main dish and is best served with steamed white rice.

The recipe of bopis has continually evolved throughout the years. There are recipes with a little bit of sauce in it, while there are others that require to let all the liquid evaporate. All of the recipes that I’ve tried are good. – But I prefer dry bopis.

I enjoy having this dish because of its spice, unique flavor, and soft texture. The spice depends on the amount of bird’s eye chili used, while the texture is the result of long hours of simmering. The unique taste, on the other hand, relies on two factors: the seasonings and the technique used in neutralizing the pungent odor of the pig’s lungs.

It is a must to neutralize the pungent and gamy odor of the lungs before starting to cook. There are different ways to do this; one is to boil and simmer the lungs with cooking wine, or you can simmer it with lemon grass and pandan leaves. I do both depending on the availability of the ingredients. Since I was in the Philippines when I shot the video, I opted for the freshly cut lemongrass and pandan leaves that I got from our neighbors backyard.

I haven’t tried this recipe for years. I needed to wait for my trip to the Philippines to be able to complete the ingredients. You see, I tried looking for pig’s lungs here in the Midwest but I can’t get it from any store. Finally, I was able to make bopis the way I want it to be.

Note: If you want your bopis to taste meatier, try adding 1 beef or pork cube in step 5.

Try this Bopis recipe and tell me what you think.

Bopis Recipe

Course: Pork

Cuisine: Filipino

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Harry Covair

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs pig’s lungs boiled in lemon grass and pandan leaves until tender and minced

1 lb pig’s heart boiled in lemon grass and pandan leaves until tender and minced

1/2 cup annatto seeds diluted in 1 cup of water

1 small carrot minced (optional)

4 to 6 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons bird’s eye chili minced

2 tablespoons ginger minced

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

3 to 4 pieces dried bay leaves

1 cup water

3 tablespoons cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a frying pan or wok and pour-in cooking oil.

2. Sauté ginger, garlic, and onion.

3. Add the bird’s eye chili and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Put-in the minced pig’s lungs and heart then cook for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring once in a while.

5. Pour in annatto water (water from the diluted annatto seeds) and stir.

6. Add the dried bay leaves and pour-in 1 cup of water. Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until almost all the liquid evaporates.

7. Put-in the minced carrots and stir. Simmer for 3 minutes.

8. Season with salt, and ground black pepper then stir.

9. Pour-in the vinegar and cook for 8 to 10 minutes more under medium heat.

10. Turn-off heat and transfer to a serving plate.

11. Serve. Share and enjoy!