MANILA, Philippines — In the Philippines, blood stews are generally called Dinuguan, following the root word "dugo," which means blood. They are usually made of pork and pig’s intestines cooked in pig’s blood.
In the Ilocos area, you can find a dish known as Sapsapuriket, made with chicken blood and meat. A couple of years ago, during an invitation-only press tour in Ilocos Sur for familiarizing purposes, this variant came to my attention.
During a cooking demo, the exec chef at Hotel Luna walked us through the preparation process and even gave out the recipe. I've held onto this recipe and now I'm passing it along to you.
Sapsapuriket
Ingredients:
1 cup chicken blood
1 tbsp. cooking oil
15 grams julienned ginger
15 grams minced onion
10 grams minced garlic
500 grams deboned chicken breast and thigh, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons bagoong isda or patis (fish sauce)
Pinch of dried oregano
1 piece of siling labuyo (bird's eye chili), finely diced
1 to 2 cups of chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Parboil the chicken blood. Place it in a heated pan and stir constantly as you cook until the blood clots. Then set it aside.
2. Warm up the frying pan, pour in the oil, then stir-fry the ginger.
3. Add the onions and garlic, then cook until they become aromatic.
4. Add chopped chicken pieces and keep cooking for around 5 minutes.
5. Flavor with bagoong or patis, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and chopped chilies.
6. Add chicken broth to the pan to deglaze it. Let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
7. Add the pre-cooked chicken blood. Stir thoroughly.
8. Continue cooking until both the chicken and the chicken blood are done.
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