Igado is a popular Ilocano dish made from pork tenderloin and pig’s innards such as liver, kidney, heart. This is definitely one of the best Filipino foods around, in my opinion. However, some people might still need to acquire a taste for it.
Do you know where the name “Igado” was derived from? My guess is it came from the Spanish word “Higado”, which means liver. I am guessing that it was named as such because it is considered as a liver dish due to the amount of liver used in the recipe. What do you think? Please type-in your comments below.
How to Prepare the Innards
Since this dish deals with pig’s innards, it is important to make sure that the ingredients that you are using are prepared properly. I usually clean the liver and kidney with running water before slicing. This washes away the impurities. Make sure to not overdo it, or you will lose the taste. As for the kidneys, I soak it in water with salt for 10 minutes after slicing in order to reduce the odor.
How to Cook Igado
Start by sautéing garlic and onions. Heat oil in a cooking pot. Add chopped garlic and onion. Saute until the onion softens before adding the pork.
Continue to saute the pork until brown and then add water and soy sauce. Cook the meat until tender by boiling. Do this by covering the cooking pot and adjusting the heat between low to medium. Let the liquid boil and continue to cook the pork until the desired tenderness is achieved. Pork tenderloin gets tender quickly. However, other cuts of pork require some time to cook. You may also add more water if the liquid starts to dry out.
Next is to add the kidney and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. You can also add the bay leaf and seasoning during this step.
The pork liver goes next. It will only take a few minutes to cook it completely. Add the carrot, peas, and bell pepper next and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Feel free to add more water if you want your Igado to be saucier.
Igado is best eaten with warm white rice. Enjoy this with the entire family for lunch or dinner.
How do you cook your Igado? Do you have other tips to share?
If you like to eat pork liver, I also recommend our Grilled Liver Bistek Recipe.
Try this Igado recipe. Let me know what you think.
Igado Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. pork tenderloin sliced into 2 inch strips
- 1/2 lb pig's liver
- 1/2 lb pig's kidney
- 1 1/2 cups green pea
- 1 piece carrot cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 piece onion diced
- 1 piece red bell pepper cut into strips
- 3 pieces dried bay leaves
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the cooking pot and pour-in the cooking oil.
- When the oil is hot enough, sauté the garlic and onions.
- Add the pork tenderloin and continue cooking until the color of the outer part turns light brown.
- Pour-in the soy sauce and water then simmer until the pork is tender.
- Add the pig’s kidney, dried bay leaves, salt, and pepper and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the pig’s liver and vinegar then simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Put-in the carrots and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add the green pea and red bell pepper and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Allow the liquid to evaporate to thicken the remaining sauce.
- Transfer to a serving plate then serve.
- Share and Enjoy!
ana says
February 2, 2010 at 11:24 pmthanx u so much! nadagdagan nnman ang recipe ko he he he… godblesss
Shonoki says
October 3, 2010 at 10:23 pmHello! I tried this recipe earlier. dinagdagan ko ng cheese on top and mas lalong sumarap! 😀
Malou says
October 16, 2010 at 12:06 amHello Vanjo,
Thnx muchos for all your wonderful recipes esp. the “IGADO”. My late father used to cook this for me and my sisters on weekends. As I was growing up, I asked him to share his secrets in cooking but he refused. Up until now, i never learned how to cook this delicious recipe.
God bless you! This means a lot to me. It will always remind me of my father and all the yummy foods he used to cook for us.
steve says
February 2, 2011 at 8:25 pmThis is almost perfect. However, the authentic ilocano igado requires native garlic and sukang iloco and a little of ilocano bagoong (fish)sauce. Great site to learn cooking!
nora says
September 15, 2015 at 1:37 pmMe too I am using patis instead of soy sauce.
rowena says
February 4, 2011 at 4:12 pmhello po kuya i’ve tried this menu and it was really good and easy to cook . another added menu for my family’s favorite food . more power…..
aryanavince says
April 2, 2011 at 9:55 amsooo happy i found this website! i only knew how to fry hotdogs and eggs before but with the help of this website i learned how to cook like a pro! i’m engaged so i’m a bit pressured to learn how to cook..i wouldn’t want my hubby to eat hotdogs and eggs everyday..thank you pamlasang pinoy!
Cecille Diego says
April 2, 2011 at 11:47 amThank you for this version. Simple and easy. I, too, will add carrots and potatoes and beef liver (from liver and onions recipe). cecille, san antonio, tx
Brenda says
June 18, 2011 at 5:35 amthanks sa panlasang pinoy, nadagdagan n nman ang recipe ko…yepeeeyyyy!!!
Kurt says
June 25, 2011 at 2:16 amWhilst prepp’ing mine, i let the kidney and liver soak in the soy & vineagar. I then cook the whole lot in a fissler pressure cooker for 20mins. So TENDER YUM!!
Grace says
September 10, 2011 at 5:41 pmIgado was very delicious if you will add cheese. When I was in college my landlady used to cook this for us. Try it and it’s really amazing taste!
teddie says
December 30, 2013 at 8:53 pmthank you so much for sharing this kind of menu itsvery easy to cook and delicious,nice to recomended for any filipino party…
Virginia Paulo says
October 1, 2015 at 8:30 pmHow long do you simmer the pork for sir?
Rico carballo says
September 21, 2018 at 2:43 amHi. My wife and kids are not fond of liver and innards. Should I sub the liver with liver spread to maintain the taste? If so, what is the recommended quantity? Thanks… Rico