What Is Bopis + The Pork Cuts You Need
Not all meaty pork dishes use the meat cuts that you expect. For some local recipes, pork parts that are not common are what make it especially delicious. Callos is a great example of a pork part that is not common but is super delicious.Â
There are many regional recipes that use uncommon pork parts. One of those is the bopis.Â
What is bopis?Â
The bopis is a Kapampangan pork dish. A recipe reveals that the dish contains the pork heart and lungs and is seasoned with lots of spices including chilis. That means that the bopis can be an everyday dish! That's because these are inexpensive pork parts that some people may not know are delicious to eat.Â
It's also known as kandingga in Southern Luzon. There are a few differences between bopis from the north and the version from the south. The kandingga from the south is also made from the pork heart and lungs but it can also include the spleen and the kidneys as well. These pork offal cuts are also seasoned in spices and chilis to make these pork parts delicious and appetizing.Â
What pork parts do you need?Â
If you're making a basic bopis, you need these:Â
- • pork heart
- • pork lungsÂ
If you are making kandingga, you'll also need these:
- • pork spleen
- • pork kidneyÂ
Where can you order the pork parts?Â
The best way to get your hands on these parts is by special order. The pork parts are commonly by special order since these pork parts are not commonly requested by customers. What you can do is call up your favorite or suking butcher to order it for the next day. These will commonly be cleaned and prepared for you as much as possible so it shouldn't be too smelly when you get the pork parts delivered to your home.Â
How do you prepare the pork parts for bopis?Â
According to this bopis recipe, the way to prepare these so that any gaminess can be removed from the heart and lungs is to simmer these in water with vinegar, pandan leaves, lemongrass, and salt. It just needs about 20 minutes to do this.Â
Once you've done this, the pork parts are then chopped up finely so that these can be stir-fried with the seasonings. To speed up the process, you can bring out the food processor or even a mini chopper to help you do the job in less time with minimum effort. Just take care to pulse the choppers so you don't end up with pieces that are too finely chopped for the texture you want for your bopis.Â
Need more help? Read on to find out where to get your meat and other pork cuts while the pandemic continues so you can satisfy your curiosity and craving for this dish:Â
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