Igado made with pork tenderloin, green peas, and bell peppers is an easy, budget-friendly dish that's nutritious and delicious. It's full of hearty flavors you'll love with steamed rice. Perfect for busy weeknight dinners!
Liver is one of my favorites, but I don't think many share my love for this offal. It's an acquired taste and not something you'd find people fighting over, which is a shame, really, because it's nutritious, tasty, and cooks fast and easy.
Organ meats are higher in nutrients than muscle parts of the animal and the superfood liver is an excellent source of vitamins such as A, D, E, folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron. You get a powerhouse of nutritional benefits at the fraction of the cost of most cuts of meat.
One of the best ways to enjoy liver, in my opinion, is igado. This pork stew is not tasty and full of nutrients, but it's also easy to make and budget-friendly.
What is igado
Pork Igado is an Ilocano stew made of strips of liver and pork tenderloin braised in a tangy and savory soy sauce-vinegar mixture and spices such as garlic, onions, and bay leaves.
Other innards such as kidney and heart are also common additions, as well as green peas and bell peppers. Although this pork and liver dish is usually associated with pork menudo due to a few common ingredients, it's closer in taste to adobo and very similar to the Kapampangan kilayin.
Cooking tips
- I prefer the lean tenderloin in this recipe, but feel free to swap with pork belly or Boston butt if you prefer fattier meat.
- Cut the pork and liver in uniform strips to ensure even cooking.
- Allow the vinegar marinade to boil uncovered and undisturbed for a few minutes before adding the water to cook off the strong acid taste.
- Do not overcook the liver and add during the last 4 to 5 minutes of cook time to keep from turning tough and chewy. The "blood" in the liver will help naturally thicken the sauce.
- Pepper is an important flavor component of this pork and liver stew so make sure to generously season with freshly-cracked pepper. You can also add chopped finger chilies (siling haba) if you like a bit of heat.
How to serve and store
- Enjoy Igado as a main dish for lunch or dinner with steamed rice.
- Due to the use of vinegar, this stew keeps well and is a great make-ahead dish. Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat until completely warmed through.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into ยฝ inch strips
- ยฝ cup vinegar
- ยผ cup soy sauce
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 bay leaves
- ยฝ teaspoon peppercorns, cracked
- 4 garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into strips
- 1 cup water
- 1 pound beef liver, cut into ยฝ inch strips
- ยฝ cup frozen green peas, thawed
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pork strips, vinegar, soy sauce, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Marinate for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain meat from marinade, squeezing excess liquid. Reserve marinade and aromatics.
- In a pan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add bell peppers and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.
- In the pan, add pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until color changes.
- Add onions, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves (from marinating pork) and cook until softened and pork is lightly browned.
- Add reserved marinade and bring to a boil, uncovered and without stirring, for about 4 to 5 minutes.ย
- Add water and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes or until pork is tender and liquid is reduced.
- Add liver, stirring gently to combine, and continue to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until liver is cooked through and sauce is thickened.
- Add green peas and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
- Add bell peppers and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until tender yet crisp.
- Season with salt to taste. Serve hot.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Pauline says
Hi po i tried this recipe pero npkaasim โน๏ธ
John says
Ok lang po ba na walang bell pepper? Okaya ano popwede pamalit?
Owie says
First time to taste Igado through this recipe. I must say I became a fan of the dish and your blog right after. Keep it up!
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm glad the igado met your expectations ๐
Ana says
Hi,
Is this recipe okay to make in advance then put in the freezer?
Thanks.
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can freeze it. ๐
Milette romero famorca says
Iโm from pampanga and love all your recipes. Thank you for sharing.....)
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you so much!
DAVID says
KEEP IT UP I LOVE YOUR BLOG! ID LOVE TO SEE YOU POST LONG LOST FILIPINO CUISINE RECIPES!
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you! Enjoy the recipes!
Jimmy says
In the instructions, the vinegar is already part of the marinade. In the Notes, you have to let the vinegar boil before adding the soy sauce and water.
baby says
im a subscriber of kawaling pinoy and this is my first time on comments. sorry for coming late but ever since i found this app of yours years ago my cooking improves greatly and im really thankful to you. even for a simple dish ive already knew how to, it became a habit to consult and confer with yours. thank you again and more power.
Lalaine Manalo says
Hi Baby! Wow, your comment made my day! Thank you so much for the kind words.
tina says
pwede po bang chicken ang gamitin?
Lalaine Manalo says
Ang igado po usually baboy but I am sure you can use the same method sa chicken ๐
divine says
Hi Lalaine,
just wanted to clarify a few things. Step 1 says marinate the pork strips in vinegar, soy sauce, etc. Step 5 says add the vinegar and let it boil uncovered then add the soy sauce. Did you mean add the marinade? or should the marinade have not included vinegar? anyway, i've tried it (with the soy sauce and vinegar marinade). and it turned out great. my friend was able to guess it was igado at first glance, so i think i did it right. said it tasted great too, like a real igado (LOL!). thank you very much for posting delicious and delightful recipes. i find your website and recipes better than the others.
Lalaine says
Hi Divine.
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I updated the recipe card to make the steps clearly. I am so glad it worked well for you as I really bungled the instructions ๐
divine says
sa first step po you said to combine pork, vinegar, soy sauce, etc. tapos after adding garlic, onions in the pan you said to add vinegar and let it boil without covering. then add the soy sauce. did you mean the marinade? or do i have to put another vinegar and soy sauce?
Lalaine Manalo says
I am sorry for the confusion. Yes, I meant the marinade ๐
Dee says
I tried this recipe bec I remember how delicious Igado is back home in my Momโs kitchen. Iโm not really a fan of pork here in the States bec it has that โporky smellโ you know what I mean. Anyway, my first time to make Igado.
It turned out really good until I added the pork liver, โI didnโt like the smell.โ The yummy, toasty smell of my browned pork is gone and all I can smell is the โporky smellโ of the liver! I didnโt know liver can smell so bad like that! I was wondering if beef liver will be better? Or shall I brown the pork liver with some oil and garlic separately before adding it to the dish? Any tips to get that pork smell out? Thanks!
Lalaine Manalo says
You can brown it if you like, I don't usually do it because I don't overcook it. But if it makes it taste better for you, that's fine ๐
Evelyn Martinac says
How can i get a copy of your free cookbook Kawaling Pinoy Recipes? This book looks interesting so i wish i could get
a copy of it.
My address is Evelyn Martinac
4 Chris Place
Dean Park NSW AUSTRALIA
Thanlk you in advance and more power to you website!!!
Lalaine says
Hello Evelyn
You just need to subscribe for FREE to our email updates and a link to the recipe book will be sent to you once you confirm. It's in digital form so all you need is to download and print the file ๐
Evelyn Martinac says
Oh I see!!! I was thinking it was a complete recipe in a book form you give away to subscribers.
In a nutshell, once we like a certain recipe, print it and file it in such a way we make our own collection
of recipes we like, am i right?
Not bad idea then.
thanks,
Lalaine says
No, the ecookbook comes with 20 recipes, you can download it and then print. Will you please email me at lymanalo@kawalingpinoy.com with your email address and I will send you the link where you can download it.
Lalaine says
Please email me at lymanalo@kawalingpinoy.com with your email address so I can send you instructions and the link to download the ecookbook. Thanks ๐
Ofelia says
I like this recipe and even my husband who rarely eat "food" he tribes on junk food, ate it twice, because it is a lot for the two of us.
Lalaine says
Hello Ofelia
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad hubby enjoyed the igado as well. Happy cooking!
Jenelyn Antolin says
Hi Ms. Lalaine,
I like this recipe, the ingredients and instructions are simple. I am a filipina currently living in Australia. I'm wondering if it is alright to replace pork liver with ox liver?..
Lalaine says
Hi Jenylyn
Yes, you can replace the pork liver with beef liver ๐
Kimmy says
Hi,
I would like to get an update or emails of your future recipes coz it helps me alot.
thanks!!!!
Lalaine says
Hi Kimmy
Thank you so much, I am happy to hear the recipes are helping you in your cooking. Here is the link to sign up for our email updates http://feeds.feedburner.com/KawalingPinoy and please verify your email subscription. Thanks again.