La Paz Batchoy

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork bones, preferably with some marrow
• 300 g beef shank
• 200 g pork belly
• 200 g pork liver
• 150 g pork heart or kidney
• 2 tbsp guinamos (Ilonggo fermented shrimp paste), or bagoong alamang
• 500 g fresh miki (round egg noodles)
• 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup neutral oil
• 100 g chicharron, crushed to coarse crumbs
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 4 egg yolks, optional
• 3 litres water

Before you cook

• Rinse the pork bones under cold water to wash off any bone dust.
• Slice the garlic thinly for frying.
• Crush the chicharron in a bag with a rolling pin to coarse crumbs, not powder.
• Have four deep bowls warming, because this soup goes cold fast.

Steps

1. Put the pork bones and beef shank in a stockpot, cover them with the 3 litres of water and bring it slowly to the boil.
2. Skim off every bit of grey scum that rises during the first 10 minutes.
3. Lower the heat to a bare tremble and simmer the broth uncovered for 2 hours.
4. Lift out the beef shank after the first hour, once it is tender, and set it aside to cool.
5. Drop the pork belly into the simmering broth and poach it for 30 minutes, then lift it out.
6. Poach the heart or kidney in the broth for 25 minutes, then lift it out.
7. Poach the liver for 6 minutes only, then lift it out immediately so it stays soft.
8. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pan and discard the bones.
9. Slice the belly, shank, heart and liver into thin bite-sized pieces and keep them on one plate.
10. Pour the oil into a cold frying pan with the sliced garlic and set it over medium-low heat.
11. Fry the garlic for 5 to 6 minutes until evenly gold, then drain it on kitchen paper and reserve the oil.
12. Mash the guinamos into a ladleful of the hot broth, then strain that mixture back into the pot.
13. Season the broth with the fish sauce and cracked pepper and keep it at a simmer.
14. Blanch the miki noodles in a separate pan of boiling water for 60 seconds and drain them well.
15. Divide the noodles between the warmed bowls and arrange the sliced meats over the top.
16. Ladle the hot broth over until the noodles are just covered.
17. Slip an egg yolk into each bowl if you want it, then top with fried garlic, a drizzle of the garlic oil, crushed chicharron and spring onion.