Healthy recipes under P199: Lean pork and sweet potato menudo

This dish by Chef Tatung Sarthou isn’t just healthy but budget-friendly, too!

Think all pork dishes are unhealthy? Think again! This recipe by Chef Tatung Sarthou uses the lean cut called “kasim”, taken from the shoulder of the pig. Apart from being high in protein, this gets you a good dose of iron, which our bodies need to produce red blood cells.

“Tipid sa bulsa pero hindi sa sustansiya,” says Connie Sison, host of GMA 7’s “Pinoy MD,” “Kaya pasok ang recipe na ito sa budget ng matipid at wais na ina.”

Chef Tatung’s savory yet healthy recipe is good for four to five people. Here’s how you can make it at home.

Ingredients
¼ kilo kasim ng baboy (shoulder cut) - P45
½ kilo sweet potato (kamote) - P20
¼ kilo carrots, cut into cubes - P25¼ kilo pork liver P35 (Skip this if you have high uric acid)
¼ kilo Baguio beans - P5
200 grams tomato sauce - P20
Oil - P5
One head of garlic, chopped - P3
One onion, roughly chopped - P5
One red bell pepper, chopped - P5
Pepper - P1
Total: P169

Procedure

1. In a large pan, saute the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Once the onions are translucent, add the kasim and a little bit of water.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for eight to ten minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the meat is cooking evenly.
3. Add the cubed carrots and just enough water cover the meat. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
4. Season with salt and pepper and add the sweet potato. Sweet potatoes act as extenders in the same way as regular white potatoes, but have less calories.
5. Add the pork liver. “Hindi natin isinasabay ‘yung pagluto ng liver sa pagluto ng meat para hindi ito tumigas. Medyo juicy pa ito,” says Chef Tatung.
6. After five minutes and add the Baguio beans. Simmer for another two minutes or until the beans are soft. Remove from heat and serve.

Check out other health tips and recipes  from "Pinoy MD:"

• Tocho bangus with kangkong
• Fruit and Vegetable Snacks for Kids
• Anti-cancer recipes from Eat and Cheat Cancer Book Project

Watch "Pinoy MD" every Saturday at 6:00 a.m. on GMA-7. Like the Pinoy MD Facebook page and follow the Pinoy MD Twitter account.


–Cristina Tantengco/CM, GMA News