When I went to Ranch 99, I knew wanted a new kitchen challenge. Something that I never had before. Something exotic. When I saw the package of pork uterus, I hesitated for a moment and then threw it in the cart. After I got home, I went looking for a recipe. There really isn’t much out there. What I did find frightened me a bit. The post Scary Food on Bay Area Bites lists Pig Uterus as the #1 Scary Food sold at Ranch 99. From that post:
And it began to cook.
And it began to smell.
“Jesus Christ, there is NO WAY, I’m tasting that,” Tristan shouted. The smell got worse, perhaps mixing with eau de fermented mudfish. “It smells just the way a cooked [uterus] probably should smell,” he cried above the hiss of the oil and the mass of sizzling pink-grey tubes.
The author proceeds to put the entire dish in the trash and then take the trash out after the cat showed too much interest.
Now I was worried. I had to assume the taste would not be to my liking, so I’d need to surround the pig uterus with heavy tastes that I already enjoy. My weapon of choice would be curry made from coconut cream.
Summary: Hiding the taste of pig uterus in a Thai Curry.
Ingredients
- Pig Uterus ( I used 1/2 pound)
- Onion
- Curry Paste (I used Massaman)
- Coconut Milk or Cream
- Yam or Sweet Potato (for sweetness)
- Cabbage
Be sure to chop up uterus meat.
Instructions
- Saute onion in oil (I used coconut oil).
- Add curry paste (as much or little as you want).
- Add coconut milk or cream
- Peel and dice yam. Put into curry.
- Cut uterus into bite sized pieces. Never thought I’d write that sentence.
- Chop cabbage into pieces.
- Once the yam is soft, put in the cabbage.
- After a minute or two, add in the pig uterus.
- Cook until done (this is your call, I’m no expert!)
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minute(s)
The Verdict
I slightly over cooked mine. The taste was rubber like, but not terrible. Not quite as good as chicken hearts. I didn’t get a foul smell. The curry most likely overpowered it. Also, I suspect I used a lower cooking temperature than Bay Area Bites. To reduce the possibility of overcooking, I adjusted the recipe so the cabbage has a 2 minute head start on the pork uterus. The good news was the curry had some heat and sweetness, so I powered through lovingly consumed two bowls of it. And I have leftovers for tomorrow. Don’t they always say how leftover uterus tastes best? 😉
Terri
Jan 11, 2012 — 4:02 pm
Next time, try this for any organ meats:
1. Season (and rub) all surfaces with salt and rinse.
2. Quick blanch (30 seconds to 1 minute) and drain.
(1. and 2. will take care of any possible foul smell or taste.)
3. Also, you did overcook it. Cantonese cuisine usually uses a quick stir-fry technique in a wok or drop into ready-to-eat congee (rice porridge). Bottomline: don’t cook for over a minute.
MAS
Jan 11, 2012 — 4:07 pm
@Terri – Thanks for the tips. I still have 1/2 pound left. Round #2 next week!
Geoff
Jan 12, 2012 — 3:43 am
…and here I was thinking the uterus was just muscle meat. 🙂 Kidding, MAS that was a bold call at the market.
For some reason the combined effect of your photos and your description of the meat have me thinking that the uterus had the shape and texture of calamari rings. @Teri’s suggestion to not cook it for over a minute also sounds similar to the standard instructions for calamari. Naturally the color is different (as I suspect was the flavor), but was their any comparison between the two?
MAS
Jan 12, 2012 — 7:43 am
@Geoff – It did taste slightly like overcooked calamari, but more like chicken hearts. I only slightly overcooked mine. The recipe fixes it, by moving the cabbage ahead of the uterus.
Rob
Aug 7, 2012 — 2:19 pm
I found that the tubes (fallopian) contained a puss-like ooze that had a foul smell. I cut the tubes lengthwise with scissors and washed out all the puss stuff. After salting and blanching, they were much less smelly.
MAS
Aug 7, 2012 — 2:21 pm
@Rob – Thanks for the tip. I was getting ready for my 2nd attempt soon.
Robin Warren
Mar 21, 2013 — 11:26 am
Just received some Pig Uteri from a friend who has a great knack for choosing birthday presents; I am now compelled to eat the things and trawling the net for recipes doesn’t prove fruitful. The general consensus is they stink. I am filled with wonder and fear. Wish me luck.
MAS
Mar 21, 2013 — 1:58 pm
@Robin – Post a comment if you can figure out a way to make it taste decent. Good luck!
Thumbelina
Jul 16, 2013 — 9:22 pm
If i may interrupt?
Clean. Clean again.
Boil.
Fry until crisp.
Season with salt.
Dip in spicy vinegar.
Enjoy!
This dish is called chicharon( ) bulaklak ( flower).. Rough translation is “flower cracker?”
It is loaded with everything bad but soo soo very worth it… It’s high in cholesterol, uric acid and fats fats fats. This dish wil guarantee you a good nights sleep with bad dreams…but nothing will make you feel as good.
The pork uterus in congee is tied in a knot (like the banana flower in stews) and served to pregnant or lactating women for female health benefits. Probably the idea of eating a placenta that’s delicious and comforting in a congee.
It’s served in fajitas too instead of the normal meats.
It can also be grilled til it’s almost crisp. Or barbecued til it’s golden brown. It has to be done in a skewer with the uterus looking like a kebab.
The pork uterus is still a mesmerizing dish after you’ve had one too many. You’ll either die of heart attack, suffer bad health or eat a dirty one and altogether give up on it. But you’ll still say it tastes better than fish guts.
Hope this helps.
MAS
Jul 17, 2013 — 10:21 am
@Thumbelina – Thank you very much. I wish I had your guidance when I first tackled this unique food.
Rd
Aug 17, 2013 — 5:01 am
Yes, lots of cleaning steps. Remove the inside and wash. then turn the runners inside out (using one side of chopstick would help) and clean with salt and tamarind. Rinse again and repeat with tamarind. Rinse once more. By now it should be clean but I would ensure the foul smell is no longer there by submerge it into vinegar. Drain. Heat your work and pan fry the runners. It will shrink and change color. Remove and submerge into cold water. Drain and ready for cooking
Rd
Aug 17, 2013 — 5:03 am
Try to get recipes for Kung pao sauce. It should be good. Good luck
MAS
Aug 17, 2013 — 8:53 am
@Rd – Thanks for the tips!
Richard
Jul 8, 2015 — 7:34 pm
A friend if mine visited his girlfriend’s home in northern Thailand. The father worked at a pig slaughter house. He brought a bag of pig uterus for dinner. Mum cooked in a wok with Thai ingredients including chillies of course. He claims it was a great dish! I’ll stick to the pig on the spit when in Thailand!