Filipino Papaitan Recipe

Papaitan is an exotic recipe for most foreigners but not for Filipinos because it is composed of beef internal organs such as kidney, tripe, lungs, hearts and intestines. It is originated in the Ilocandia where its name is derived from the word “pait” which means “bitter” in English. Pinapaitan can be translated as “Beef Innards Stew” or “Bitter Beef Soup”.

Papaitan dish is mostly served as an appetizer especially for “lasinggero” (Alcoholic drinkers) as it is sometimes served as very hot and spicy. Once you got drunk, a zip of the soup will make you feel up and drinking again. So it will be a “never-ending drinking”. (LOL)

Although this soup is popular, one needs to develop and acquired taste to enjoy it. Once an acquired taste has developed, you will surely appreciate this dish without minding its components.

This recipe that we have here makes use of cow parts. I chose to cook cow parts mainly because of the availability of ingredients in my area. If in case goat parts are available in your part of the world, you can use the goat equivalent of the ingredients.

Try this Papaitang Baka recipe and let me know what you think!

Papaitan Recipe

Cuisine	Filipino
Prep time	20 mins
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	1 hour and 20 mins
Serveing Size	5-6

Papaitan Ingredients

• 1/2 kilo following beef innards; cut in 1" cube
  • tripe
  • liver
  • kidney
  • heart
  • pancreas
  • intestines
• 1 cup beef tenderloin; cut in 1/2" cubes
• 1/4 cup bile
• 1 onion; minced
• 4 cloves garlic; minced
• 1 head ginger; minced
• 1/4 cup onion leaves
• 5 Philippine bird's eye peppers (siling labuyo)
• Salt and pepper
• Fish sauce

Ingredients for cleaning and boiling the innards

• 1 lemon; sliced(optional)
• 8 kalamansi; sliced (optional)
• Banana leaves (optional)
• 1 ginger root; crushed

Instructions

1. Wash and mash the raw innards with salt and banana leaves to get rid of the odor.
2. When cleaned, boil in a large kettle with ginger and lemon or kalamasi until tender. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes/lengths. Set aside.
3. Saute ginger, garlic, and onion. When onion appears translucent, drop the beef innards.
4. Spice with salt and pepper and continue sautéing until enough broth comes out from the innards. Pour enough water to cover the mixture.
5. Bring to a boil and then drop the beef tenderloin. Stew the mixture until cooked, then drop the siling labuyo.
6. Add bile little by little, drop by drop, (be careful not to over bitter taste) and adjust seasoning with fish sauce according to taste.
7. Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with chopped onion leaves.

Cooking Tips

• To make it healthy and if you have the time, cook the papaitan long before you intend to serve. Let it cool, then refrigerate. All the fat will solidify, and you can easily scrape it from the surface. The taste will not change, it will even improve as the meat and all the condiments will have blended so well in the broth already.
• Stewing the mixture in low fire for long hours until it becomes yellowish in color will bring the best result.
• Calamansi juice will further enhance the taste. And if you want a stronger pepper aroma but not the spice, put some chopped siling haba.