Dinuguan comes from the root word dugo, or blood. This dish is so named because it is a stew made with the blood of a freshly-slaughtered pig. Traditionally cooked using a mixture of pork cheeks, lungs and intestines, this version — made with pork belly, cheeks and liver — should make the not-too-adventurous less squeamish.
But… blood? Sure. Blood. Cooking with blood is nothing new and not even unique to the Philippines. Dishes cooked with blood are found in various cuisines — Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, British, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Scandinavian… Blood sausages and haggis are made with blood.
The blood of freshly-slaughtered pig is available in local wet markets. The blood is usually kept in a cooler so, when sold, there are often solid masses. That doesn’t mean that the blood isn’t fresh. It is natural for blood to coagulate when it cools. In Antipolo, where we live, the butcher gives it for free with the purchase of meat.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil
- 500 grams pork belly cut into one-inch cubes
- 500 grams pork cheeks cut into one-inch cubes
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 1 head garlic minced
- 2 thumb-sized knobs ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 2 shallots or one onion, roughly chopped
- 5 to 6 finger chilis
- patis (fish sauce) to taste
- pepper to taste
- 2 to 4 cups fresh pork blood
- 1/4 kilogram pork liver thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil in a pan.
- Add the pork and cook over high heat, stirring often, until the meat is no longer pink.
- Pour in the vinegar. Stir. Cook, uncovered, until the vinegar has been absorbed by the pork.
- Cook the pork in the oil and rendered fat for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic, shallots (or onion), ginger and chilis. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Stir. Cook until the vegetables soften.
- Pour in the blood. Note that if there are solid masses, you can press them through a strainer before adding to the pork. I don’t mind the solid masses although I mash them with my hands to make sure that there are no too large pieces.
- Stir. Wait for the mixture to boil.
- The blood will turn from red to brown as it cooks. When the mixture boils, lower the heat, cover and simmer for an hour or until the pork is done. The sauce will reduce and thicken as it cooks, don’t be tempted to add water unless you want a soupy dinuguan.
- Taste the stew from time to time and adjust the seasonings, as needed.
- When the pork is tender, add the liver. Stir. Simmer for another ten minutes.
- Garnish the dinuguan with slices of chili and scallions before serving.
If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.
Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 28 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes 
Stir-fried Pork, Bok Choy and Tofu
patanong lang cristal kung paano mo niluluto yung buo na dugo na nasalin mo ? salamat.
I am a Filipino resident of Kuala Lumpur. For a long time I have not tried my favorite “Dinuguan” in the Philippines, and when I got across your website suddenly I found my appetite back again especially your way of cooking dinuguan. It appears that several have already good comments about it. Can’t wait of going back to Philippines to ask my daughter to cook it and follow your recipe, thanks..!
iw,,, dinuguann yakz.,,.,.
anu bang food yan,,
ndi ba nila alam na ang blood ay ang pinaka madumi sa ating body…
at lahat ng dumi sa body natin dun napupunta sa blood
yakz…
talaga
L-)
Wow , our Fil-Am community here in Rio assigned me to cook Dinuguan for our Haloween Party. I’ll try this recipe with a Bisaya twist ( the lemon grass or tanglad) . I ussually soak the lemon grass with the prk blood before cooking!
A very satisfying and tasty soup/stew. I recently vacationed in the Philippines, and ate a bowl (two actually!) of this without knowing what it was. To my palate it tastes like the richest chicken soup you can imagine, and I found it a superb, hearty meal, especially when accompanied by those little rice buns (not sure what they are called).
You’re right – don’t judge it till you’ve tried it :-)
The rice cakes are called puto (recently discovered what the word means in Spanish).
hi connie, tried this recipe and it really rocked!!! nice good one really delicious!! love it hehehe!!!!!
Hi Ms. Connie! I would like to ask if i can use Oregano instead of Bay Leaf? Does it make a difference? Thanks in advance. :)
Of course it will make a difference — oregano and bay leaf taste and smell differently. Doesn’t mean though that using oregano will not result in a delicious dish. :)
hi! ask ko lang po kung ano ang dapat gawin (or ingredient) para maging smooth yung sabaw ng dinuguan? hindi ko kasi ma-perfect e. laging lumpy ang kinalalabasan. minsan naman nagdadag ako ng tubig, pero parang sobra naman sa labnaw. please advise. thank you po ng marami!
thank you for the good recipe
Uuummmm, you’re the one who can’t even spell and you’re calling me “eschupida”?What the heck is eschupida anyway? Is that the same as “tupid”?
Hi, Connie,
Just want to add. My Bicolana cousins have their version of dinuguan, which is sweeter and creamier, because of the addition of gata (coconut milk). The added twist is, they first burn the grated coconut with cocoshell charcoal (they take a few pieces of burning coal and let it rest on some parts of the mound of grated coconut). They then press and strain to get the ‘kakang gata’ (first coconut milk extraction), which is then added to the sauteed ingredients and the ‘dugo’. I guess this helps prevent clumping/coagulation, and gives the finished product that distinct sweetish, smoky and savory taste. :-)
No, it won’t do anything to prevent coagulation. It just makes the sauce creamier if added at the correct time (coconut milk itself curdles if cooked for too long). :)
why is everyone mentioning sinigang mix? I dont see it in the ingredient list.. sounds like it’d be good though… so its vinegar OR the mix? or both?
There is a note at the end of the recipe that says “Updated from a recipe originally published on September 15, 2003”. The 2003 recipe had sinigang mix. This new and better one does not. :)
Hello,
Recently heard of crispy dinuguan made with crispy belly pork added to the blood after it is cooked. Now THAT sounds yummy!
That’s how they do it in Ilocos using bagnet. :)
Thank you for this! I found it very easy to follow. My mom will be proud! I can’t wait for her to try it tomorrow!