Have you ever wondered how the famous Vigan Longganisa, Ilocos Bagnet, and Okilas (a.k.a. “Chicharon with Dinuguan Dip ala Vigan”) are made?
Last Monday, I had the chance to discover just that as we visited a local butchery and longganisa/bagnet maker — Manang Ida in Vigan.
She shared the secrets behind our Ilocano food favorites…
ILOCOS BAGNET
Bagnet is an Ilocano pork dish that is popular because of its double-fried crispiness.
It is cooked in lard (note: its own mantika) in a big kawali over an old-school, wood-fired cement oven.
Kasim is the part of the pork that is used for the Bagnet. It is deep-fried with salt for 2-3 hours until it softens and becomes red.
The best way to know if it is cooked is by touching it (just like Manang Ida).
The oil is removed afterwards. Then, the fried pork is allowed to settle for 15 minutes before putting it back and frying it again for maximum crispiness.
Sarap! 🙂
OKILAS
That was the first time that I learned about Okilas, which is essentially chicharon with dinuguan.
The skin is turned into chicharon by hanging it for 3-4 days. This is freshly hung pig skin.
Ilocanos are very masinop (not kuripot), so they make sure to use every part of the pig, including the skin. These have been dried for two days already.
After 3-4 days, they turn into these sheets of crispy skin, ready to be served as Chicharon.
The pig’s blood is now turned into Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew).
Chef Rene shared with us that the Dinuguan is simmered and slow-cooked for 7 hours until it turns into a paste.
Vigan’s Dinuguan version is more paste-y in nature versus the liquid dish we’re more familiar with.
VIGAN LONGGANISA
Longganisa is pork meat and fat stuffed into an intestine wrap. Vigan’s version is salty and best paired with Ilocos Vinegar.
The secret of this Vigan Longganisa? It has a ratio of 20 kilos of meat to 10 kilos of fat.
The meat is mixed manually with Sinait Garlic crushed in San Esteban Almeres. Sugarcane vinegar is added along with Atsuete with soy sauce (to give it color).
The mixture is then packed inside the small intestines and sealed with an Astra 20 thread.
Vigan Longganisa is sold in packs of 12 versus Laoag’s Longganisa, which is sold per kilo.
They clean the longganisa in water before they hang it to dry.
To enjoy the Vigan Longganisa, you just have to fry it and then serve with Ilocos Vinegar. 🙂
Chef Patty can’t help but exclaim, “Naimas!” (“Yummy!” in Ilocano.)
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P.S. Thanks to Winona Santos for taking us around on the Culinary and Heritage Tour of Vigan! This was our first stop. I will share more of our foodie adventures in Vigan soon. 🙂
everything looks so appetizing!
can someone teach me how to build that wood fired oven
Vigan is my favorite place, and I how I wish I can do a Culinary trip there just like what you did.
your welcome anton. i would love to tour you guys again. lets do upland culinary next time
where can i buy authentic vigan longganisa here in manila? i’ve been searching thru the internet but couldn’t find one. any suggestions please?
It is available in Farm n Deli in Mercato Centrale every Saturday and Sunday
Sent from Mobile
So that’s the secret of bagnet. It’s the resting period before the second fry! It’s very much like the recipe for Korean Fried Chicken that we have experimented with mixed results. You really have to let it rest for a bit, fry, and serve.
This will be the experiment the next time (even without a wood fired oven). Let you know how it turns out 🙂
sonsi langonisa in the freezer section of rustan’s supermarkets. they specialize in sourcing native sausages from different provinces
Hi there! How much was the Culinary Tour and how can I avail of this? The FB link to Winona Santos doesn’t work anymore. 🙁