Prinsesa's Mahiwagang Pork Nilaga

One of my favorite dishes because:

1. Very economical
2. Easy to start from scratch
3. Does not need complete attention (I'm cooking as of this writing)

I remember one time we cooked nilaga in Diet Therapy class. I was teamed up with Arjel (Ramirez) and we were making a food tray for a person with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease). So the usual nilaga I cook has to be modified to the needs of our patient. Our patient just got out of the OR (Operating Room) and is on progressive diet. The patient is now in the transition between general liquid to soft bland, sodium restricted (no additional salt).

So there we were, with the modified nilaga softly boiling over the stove. I looked at Arjel and asked him to taste it. He did.

"Yuck." He said.

I tasted it, too. It was like boiled water, with a hint of pork. Nothing else.

"This is so sad." I said.

We looked at each other. "Ayokong magkasakit sa bato."

"Ako din." Arjel agreed.

And so dear friends, this is my Nilaga recipe, and pray that you don't have kidney disorders or you cannot eat it.


What you'll need

pork
onions (Asian variety -- the purple one, it gives off more flavor)
potatoes
cabbage
beans
iodized salt (invest in iodized salt, it's stated in Asin Law)
fish sauce
whole peppercorns

Here's How:

Boil the pork, adding a dash of iodized salt, till tender, this may take a while, depending on the cut and how much water you put in.

Once the pork is tender enough (I like it when the meat is almost coming of the bones or in lean pork, if it's easy to tear apart, no effort at all) drop in the onions, which should be cut into wedges, Asian style, to give off more flavor.

Let it boil some more then add the potatoes. Cover, till it starts boiling violently (a trick to know if there's enough heat in there.

Add about two tablespoons of fish sauce. Adjust to taste. Then let it simmer before dropping in the beans.

Once the beans achieve a bright green color (this is what should happen instead of it losing the color), check if the potatoes and pork are cooked enough. If not, cover again and wait. If yes, crush the peppercorns, about two teaspoons, and quickly drop in the mixture. The flavor of the spice is preserved that way.

Then, a few minutes before serving it, drop the cabbages on top of the mixture. Do not mix. Cover it for a minute and serve before the cabbages get overcooked.

That's it. Easy right?

Then I remember Miss Tiangson (now Prof. Tiangson-Bayaga) told us to eat what we cooked. Arjel and I looked at each other helplessly.

"No way." I said.

We both looked at the sorry bowl with that accursed soft diet, Na-restricted nilagang pork. We waited before Miss T walked out of the laboratory. Arjel opened the class locker where we put our common ingredients and took the half-full bottle of fish sauce.

"Healthy naman kidneys ko." He said, smiling.

I giggled as he sat back down beside me and sprinkled it over the bowl.

"Enjoy." I said. "Kaw na bahala sa dishes ha."

And with that, labgown carelessly over my shoulder and hairnet still on my ponytail, I walked out of the laboratory, keeping in mind the greatest lesson I learned in class.

Take care of your kidneys.