THE RIGHT WAY TO COOK LONGANISA

 Longanisa (long-ah-nees- ah), is a cured sausage from the Philippines, it is kind of sweet flavored, with hints of vinegar and garlic. It is very tasty, and exceptional for breakfast, or for that matter any meal of the day. You gotta have eggs with it, it's a must.

I was kicking back with a friend of mine today, and by the by we are both Filipino American dudes. And he was asking me how I cooked longanisa. I responded by "I just put it in a frying pan, and fry it up...why?" He told me that he boils it, and when the water evaporates, he lets the sausage sit in the pan, and lets the fat from the sausage ooze out, and lets it fry in the fatty juices. You see, by boiling it, it cooks it thoroughly, before it fries in the oils. The way I did mine was by just heating it up, it worked. But at times by just frying it, for some reason I would burn the outsides because the inside of the sausage would be cold, and I'd fry it longer.  I guess there's two ways to do it. One would be the way I do it, just fry it up without the par boiling. Or by boiling it. Guess what, I spoke to many people on this subject, as well as looked online. And boiling it first seems to be the way to go. Hey I learned something new today. Boiling it first seems to be safer because it is pork, you want the inside of the sausage to be heated up well to kill bacteria.

Directions (Boiling method)

1. Get the sausage links, and thaw it out if frozen.
2. Using a paring knife, make small slits around the links.
3. Place the links inside of a pot, and cover with water about 1/2 an inch from the links.
4. Bring to a boil, and then lower to simmer, cook until water evaporates, then let the links cook in the dried out pot for about 4-6 minutes, it should be cooking in its own fatty juices.
5. Remove from pot, serve with rice or fried rice.

Directions (Frying method)

1. Get the sausage links, and thaw it out if frozen.
2. Using a paring knife, make small slits around the links.
3. In a large enough skillet, over medium high eat, pan fry the links until the fat comes out.
4. Check the inside of the sausage to see if it is hot. Using a thermometer (No need for it really), check to see if it is around 165 deg, F. Or, using your finger, if it is hot to the touch it should be safe.

Whatever method you choose, try taking some cooked rice, and toss it into the pan with the fatty juices from the longanisa, and stir fry it, the flavors from the sausage is amazing. Thanks to my buddy Benny for sharing that method. Can't believe I did not know that one. Alright I'm the out of the loop longanisa dude, but not now.

        

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