Skinless longganisa ( Filipino sausage ) and pan de sal ( Filipino bread rolls )


Longganisa is a Filipino-style sausage , it is made from ground pork , garlic , black pepper , sugar , salt and annatto / achiote powder . Ground beef or chicken is also used . Traditionally , the marinated meat is formed into a hog casing but the skinless version is so much easier to make at home . It is a popular Filipino breakfast sausage and almost always served with steamed rice . We may call it breakfast sausage but some Filipinos , including me , will happily eat it morning , noon and night lol 

Be wary of those pink longganisa you see at some Filipino / Asian stores , they are loaded with chemicals . Homemade longganisa is simple to make at home , with ingredients that you'll probably find in your kitchen counter . Annato seeds ( see photo # 6 )  may seem exotic to some and I really thought that  , until few years ago , achiote trees only exist in the Philippines ! Heh ! Can't find annatto seeds or powder ? No worries , you can use paprika in a pinch .


I used pork shoulder / pork butt in making these sausages , this cut of pork is perfect for making this skinless version and also great for making homemade char siu / roast pork . When I buy this cut at the market , I usually say " siu siu fei " means with a little bit fat . Look for a cut with streaky fat , think marbled beef cuts . Not really sure what's the perfect ratio of fat to lean , maybe 20 % to 80 % ratio .

Making longganisa varies from region to region , the recipe I have here is Pampanga-style and is often sweet . This recipe that I used  though is not sweet , yup , even with more than 4 tablespoons of sugar , the flavour is a perfect balance of tastes . And I think the best longganisa that I've ever tasted or made . 


So , pandesal , the Filipino-style sweet bread roll , it is easily recognisable by its top which is coated with breadcrumbs . The dough is dipped into breadcrumbs before baking thus the sort of sandy top when baked . Just like longganisa , it is also a favourite breakfast staple and often use for making small sandwiches or dunked into a hot , steaming coffee or milk beverages . The best pandesal that you can find back home in the Philippines are from those home bakers , they produce just small batches in the early hours of the morning and they usually sell them in front of their houses . Those pandesal are beast eaten while still warm but the soft texture won't last , they tend to turn a bit hard after a day . I'm sure there are good commercialised pandesal back home as well , you can even find some pre-packaged pandesal here in Hongkong .

But why buy when you can make your own ! This is the first pandesal recipe that I've tried and I made it 3 times already . It's really good with soft , pillowy texture and still taste wonderful after 3 days . It will hold its shape even after you dump them all in plastic bag . It has this delightful crunch if you toast them in a pan, either with butter or without . It's great on its own but awesome when filled with , yup , you guessed it , homemade longanisa lol 

You may not have that urge to make homemade pandesal but try to convince yourself to make this easy peasy flavourful preservatives-free longganisa !


Pampanga-style skinless sweet and spicy longganisa 

Makes about 14 sausages 45 grams each ) 

Recipe adapted from This little piggy went to market

460 grams minced/ground pork
6 garlic cloves / 29 grams ( peeled weight ) garlic , chopped
4 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper
3/4 tablespoon sea salt flakes
2 teaspoons chili flakes
2 tablespoons ***achiote oil
1 tablespoon vinegar

* Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined . Adjust salt according to taste . Chill mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours preferably , overnight .

* Form marinated meat into rolls or patties , you can either weigh each piece or just guesstimate it . I weigh mine into 45 grams each and rolled it into 3-inch log and about 2 1/2-inch round for the patty .

* If you're planning to freeze some sausages , after shaping , use a small pre-cut parchment papers and wrap each piece . Place wrapped sausages into a baking sheet and freeze until hard . Transfer sausages into a freezer-proof container or ziplock bag and freeze .

* If cooking frozen sausages , place sausages in a nonstick pan and add a splash of water , turn heat to low , cover pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side until sausages softens . Turn heat to medium , add oil and continue to cook until golden , about 6 minutes on each side .

* Best eaten with steamed rice or make a breakfast burger using the patty-shaped longganisa .

***Simple achiote oil 

Recipe adapted from  Bon Appetit 

1/4 cup / 4 tablespoons corn oil
2 tablespoons annatto / achiote seeds

Cook oil and achiote seeds in a small saucepan over low heat until oil turns dark red , about 5 minutes . Strain oil into a small bowl or a jar and let cool before using .



Pandesal / Filipino bread rolls 

Makes 12 2 1/2-inch rolls 

Recipe adapted from The Little Epicurean

1 large egg , lightly-whisked 
145 grams milk ( UHT ) , at room temperature
3 grams fine sea salt
35 grams caster sugar
190 grams all-purpose flour
100 grams bread flour
3 grams instant yeast
25 grams unsalted butter , softened

20 grams fine breadcrumbs

Using a bread machine : Pour liquid ingredients first , the whisked egg and milk , in the bread pan / tin , followed by the salt , sugar and flours , make a small dent on top of the flour and add the yeast . Choose dough programme , when all ingredients are all mix in , add butter after about 10 minutes and let the machine do the rest until the first proofing .

By hand : In a mixing bowl , whisked together the salt , sugar , flours and yeast . Make a small well in the middle of the flour mixture , pour in the whisked egg and milk . Either use a sturdy wooden spoon or your hand to mix everything , it will be very sticky , until it forms a cohesive dough . Tip dough into a lightly-floured clean work surface , after about 10 minutes of kneading , add in the butter . Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic or until it passes a window pane test , about 15 minutes more . Form dough into a smooth ball and place dough into a lightly oiled mixing bowl , turning once to coat dough with some oil , cover bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel . Let proof for 45 minutes or so or until tripled in size , depending on the ambient temperature .

Tip dough into the lightly-floured work surface , punch down dough to get rid of the air trapped within . Weigh or divide it into 12 equal pieces . Form each dough into a smooth , round balls , dip top or you can coat dough ball allover with breadcrumbs , place  into a parchment-lined or lightly-oiled 9 x 13-inch baking sheet , cover and continue with the rest of the dough .

Let dough rise until doubled in size or until rolls are quiet puffy , 45 minutes or so , depending on the ambient temperature . At the end of the rising time , preheat oven to 180ºC .

Bake the rolls for about 20  or until tops are golden .

Serve pandesal warm or at room temperature . Consume within 3 days .

To assemble a longganisa breakfast slider : 

Cut some lettuce and tomatoes , set aside .

Make mayo-sriracha  by mixing together 2 tablespoons mayo and 1 teaspoon sriracha , chill in the fridge until needed . This mixture is enough for 4 sliders .

In a nonstick pan , fry eggs , transfer to a plate , set aside . In the same pan , add some longanisa patties and cook until golden , transfer to a plate .

Slice several pandesal in half , add a bit of butter in a nonstick pan , place sliced pandesal , cut side down and toast until golden . Transfer pandesal to a plate , spread bottom half of the roll with mayo-sriracha , add in a piece of lettuce , sliced tomato , longganisa patty , fried egg and finished with top roll . Take photos and do it fast ! Consume immediately .



Comments

  1. o Anne, you have outdone yourself! The sandwich looks beyond delicious. I will have to order some achiote seeds online.

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  2. Hi Anne, I did the longaniza based on your recipe. It was so good, easy to do and everyone truly enjoyed it:) Thank you for sharing this with us... one of the best filipino food:) We had the longaniza with rice instead of pan de sal...but I must treat my family longaniza with pan de sal next time too!

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