Sinanglaw

Sinanglaw, an Ilocano popular dish. The ingredients include the innards and skin of a cow sautéed in onion, ginger, garlic, peppercorns and kamias, cooked over medium heat until tender. In its original recipe, a moderate amount of the cow’s bile (or papaet) is added for more zest. Cooking time would be for 3 - 4 hours depending on the tenderness of the innards. Use of pressure cooker to cut the cooking time is not advisable. But the wait is well worth it really.
Well for me it was worth it anyway......
My friend called me up around 10 a.m. and invited me to have lunch over his house because he will be serving Sinanglaw. Surprised he was awake at that time on a Sunday so I thought he really prepared early for the dish. Anyway, I took my time preparing to go and at about a little past 11 a.m. I started my journey to his house.
I was not even halfway to the destination when it started to rain softly but the wind was harsh. Good thing I have with me my very sturdy umbrella and was able to continue my journey. All the while imagining the hot and spicy taste of the dish that will be served.
Almost 3/4 along the way, still raining and windy, I was about to pass a big puddle of water on the road and noticed a car nearing the puddle. So in anticipation, I tried to get back on the sidewalk area, which was more flooded for which reason I was walking on the road, when lo!!!! I slipped and fell on my butt!!! The first instinct was to stand up and get hold of myself, then slowly and inconspicuously look around if any body was looking. A little farther down the road was an old lady standing by the front of a grocery store and I thought, well probably didn't see me because of a poor vision. The car that passed by prior to the fall didn't stopped so, the driver nor the passenger probably didn't see me. And still looking around saw no more people in sight. But as I continued on, and almost in front of a hardware store, there was a boy who was looking at me as I pass by, eyeing me as if to say, "hahahahaha....I saw you fall"...that bastard.
So with a drenched right side pants, hurting butt and painful wrist, I continued on with my walk towards my friend’s house. Still salivating with the thought of the hot and spicy soup and tender meat, I moved on.
Finally, I reached the house, but wait, how come there was no distinct smell of a cooking sinanglaw? How come no table set for lunch? I looked at my watch, which was on the left wrist so it was not banged when I fell so it’s still working, it was almost 12 nn. So where is the food?
I went in, still soaking wet from the waist down, that's when I realized they were just finished slicing up the innards and other ingredients! Whoa! So that means 3 more hours to wait!
Nothing else I can do but wait, so I asked my friend to provide me with a pair of dry shorts for the meantime, because I was not only feeling cold because I am hungry but also because of my wet pants.
He gave me a pair of shorts and when I was a bit warmer, I try ransacking through his refrigerator and looking for anything to eat. There were few left over, bread and a Cinnamon bread. Got hold of the cinnamon bread and mixed me a cup of coffee. Feeling warm and still anticipating the hot and spicy soup and soft and tender innards to be served, I set my self in front of the TV and my friend played a movie about who knows what starring who knows who which I slept half way through anyway. When it was finished, it was 2:40 p.m. and now something is really cooking!
You can smell the distinct smell of the dish and it makes my mouth water a lot. I stood up and checked the pot and boy, it looks so good. I ask my friend if it was ready and he said it was not soft enough and it would be better to wait for a few minutes more.
I was thinking, yeah it should be at least 3 hours, I just sigh and sit and tried to listen to music on my MP3 player which, after several music, went dead because I forgot to charged it this morning. So much for passing time listening to music, I went out and looked around the backyard for some Sour sop fruit (guyabano) but there is no fruit that would be right for the picking. So I just tried to get some more kamias from the tree instead and was planning to preserve it.
I was really into the picking when my friend called out and finally, the dish was done.
I hurried back to the kitchen and there it was, steaming hot and looking so tasty was a bowl of Sinanglaw just for me. I got some ground pepper and chili and put some on my bowl. At long last it was ready.
My first sip of the soup and wowww! It is as I imagined it would. Hot, spicy, tasty and the innards were as soft as the way it should be. Sinanglaw, from a recently butchered cow. Newly cooked, hot and as spicy as I wanted it to be. I didn't just settle for a bowl mind you, I finished 3 bowls of it. One for every hour I have waited. And the aching butt? it is not aching anymore, for I am enjoying with my hearts content the hot, spicy and very tender Sinanglaw.
Now it was really worth all the trouble and wait......