Papaitan

Papaitan is an exotic dish from the northern part of Luzon. “Papaitan” was derived from the Ilocano word “pait” which means bitter. Main ingredients are goat or beef innards such as liver, intestine, kidney, heart, pancreas as well as cooked blood. Innards are stewed and flavored with its bile juice that makes the dish bitter taste. The bitterness is not that bad. The spices and sourness of the tamarind broth added balances the flavor which turn out to be deliciously exotic. The tamarind broth could be an option if you really want to have bitter taste of the dish.

Some Ilocano folks serve Papaitan as soup during meals. In this case, more water is added and balance the taste by adding more bile juice, tamarind broth and salt. Papaitan is best when it served hot.

Papaitan Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of goat innards (liver, intestine, blood (cooked), kidney, heart , pancreas)
• 1 table spoon bile
• 1/2 cup of goat semi digested grass from stomach
• 2 inches ginger, julienned
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bulb onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoon of oil for sauteing
• 1 cup of tamarind broth (boil 10 pcs of tamarind fruit until I become soft, filter the broth) or you may use 1 small pack (20gms) of tamarind powder which is always available in the market.
• Salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. Put goat internals in a casserole. Put enough water and boil for about 30 minutes.
2. Remove meat from casserole and discard the water.
3. Chop all the internals into small pieces. Set aside
4. Saute garlic, ginger, and onions.
5. Add bile and semi-digested grass. Continue sauteing for about one minute.
6. Add chopped goat innards. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
7. Add 4 cups of water and put into boiling.
8. Add tamarind broth and mix. Lower down heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add water if necessary.
9. Seasoned with salt.
10. Serve hot