One of the quickest and home cook-friendly ways to make sisig is to do it Sisig Hooray-style. Here's how to hack their famous pork sisig at home.
If you need to satisfy your sisig cravings, this Sisig Hooray hack doubles as a home kitchen-friendly recipe. No grill, pig ears, or sizzling plate required.
Originating from Pampanga, traditional sisig uses parts of livestock that are usually discarded like chicken liver, the pig’s face and ears, and sometimes even the pig’s brain. The fatty, gamey flavors work well with the dish’s main seasonings: onions, calamansi, and chili.
Just like in the food court, you toss chopped bits of crispy pork belly in a mayo-based sisig sauce. Crushed chicharon adds extra crunch. Fried eggs are optional, but don't forget the calamansi. A squeeze adds much-needed brightness while cutting through the rich, fatty meat.
Ever hear the sound of cleavers rhythmically chopping down on a wooden block in malls? It’s probably coming from a nearby Sisig Hooray, a food court stall serving “the first and original freshly prepared sisig”. Since opening in 2005, the brand now boasts over 73 branches nationwide.
The standard pork sisig is their most famous offering. Sold in solo or double silog meals, these are perfect for college students and office workers surviving petsa de peligro. If you want something to share, their Barkada-sized sisig feeds a crowd. Chicken, smoked bangus, and their “Smokey Beef” (chopped beef) variants are also popular.
Sisig Hooray invites you to watch them prepare the sisig. With only a glass panel separating you and the ingredients, it’s like you’re window shopping for a custom order. Don’t like chilies? Want less onions? Ask nicely, and you’ll see them prepare your sisig “fresh”: protein of choice and add-ins tossed with sisig mayo, nuked in the microwave until steaming hot, plopped straight onto your plate with rice and eggs.
Some people find mayo sacrilegious because it’s not part of traditional sisig.
Sisig, which means “to make something sour”, originally referred to a green papaya or guava salad tossed in a vinegar dressing. When US Air Force Personnel were stationed in Clark, Pampanga, pig heads were discarded by the commissaries preparing their food. Locals saw these parts and decided to make “Sisig Babi”, replacing the vegetables with pork mask and ears.
“Sisig Queen” Lucia Cunanan developed the version of sisig we know today. After accidentally burning grilled pig ears, she chopped and combined them with onions, chopped chicken liver, vinegar, and chilies. Fast-food chains and casual spots added mayonnaise later to emulate the creaminess of the liver.
Many people love mayo in their sisig (like Sisig Hooray). This version uses it as the base for our savory, creamy sauce. Mayo coats the pork evenly, allowing the flavors to mix into each piece of meat well.
Sisig traditionally uses grilled pig masks and ears as a way to use these discarded cuts. Like Sisig Hooray, we use pork belly instead: it’s easier to handle, much meatier, and less organ-y compared to using pig face. When fried, it does a fine job of capturing the crispy and gelatinous texture of sisig.
Make sure to get the pre-cut rashers sliced 1-inch thick so it's ready to cook. Alternatively, you can buy whole pork belly, par-freeze it, and slice it on your own.
Sisig Hooray uses siling haba, the green, finger-like peppers found in sinigang or deep-fried as dynamites. Compared to red siling labuyo, siling haba has a more subtle heat that adds dimension to sisig without being too punishing.
If you’re sensitive to heat and find siling haba too spicy, slice it in half and scrape off the seeds. Or if siling haba’s slight heat isn’t doing it for you, use the spicier siling labuyo or add more hot sauce to the mayo mix.
Make sisig sauce: Add oil to a skillet set over high heat. When the pan starts smoking, add chicken liver. Season with salt and fry until a crust forms on one side, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Flip liver and fry until cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Mash liver with a fork. Add mayonnaise and liquid seasoning. Mix until liver is well-incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare pork belly: Pour water in a deep pot set over high heat. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and vinegar, stirring to combine. Add pork belly. Cook until fat turns translucent and soft, about 10-15 minutes. Don’t over-boil; the skin won’t crisp up if too much water is absorbed.
Using tongs, transfer pork belly to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Allow pork to dry for 10 minutes. Pat off any excess moisture with paper towels.
Fry: Heat oil in a deep pot or wok set over medium heat. When oil registers 300°F or 150°C on an instant-read thermometer, add pork. Fry until it starts to brown, around 10 minutes. You don’t want your pork to be super crispy at this stage. Transfer fried pork to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Increase heat to high and bring oil to 350°F or 180°C. Add pork back into the oil. Fry until the skin is crispy, about 10 minutes. Return pork to the wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Rest pork for at least 10 minutes.
Mix and serve: When pork is cool enough to handle, chop it first into strips, then into small cubes.
Transfer chopped pork to the bowl of sisig sauce. Add chilies, onions, crushed chicharon, hot sauce, and liquid seasoning. Mix with a spoon until ingredients are well-combined. Transfer to a plate or low bowl. Serve hot with steamed rice, fried eggs, and halved calamansi.
This recipe was updated with a new article and streamlined steps in 2024.
