Lechon sauce is a Filipino condiment made with liver, vinegar, and spices. It's the perfect medley of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors that pair well with crispy pork and our many favorite dishes.
ย Mang Tomas is one of the bottles of condiments you'll always find a good stock of in my pantry. I love it with lumpiang shanghai and filipino-style fried chicken. I use it as sarsa for everything, I even put it on my breakfast eggs.
But, when it comes to my pork belly lechon, I want the real lechon sauce to enjoy it with. Not an "all-purpose sauce" in a bottle. Sure, it's convenient and, I admit, quite tasty, but if I go through the tedious process of making lechon kawali, I might as well make the accompanying sauce from scratch and complete the whole experience with a bang.ย
What you'll need
- Liver- I prefer chicken liver, but you can also use pork or beef liver
- Vinegar- adds a tangy flavor and cuts through the richness
- Brown sugar- balances the sour taste with sweetness.
- Breadcrumbs- help thicken the sauce
- Onions and garlic- aromatics act as a flavor base
- Salt and pepper- season to taste
- Water- adjust the amount to desired consistency
- Oil- for sauteing
Lechon sauce cooking steps
This sarsa is an easy recipe and can be made simpler using a hack that significantly cuts down the effort involved. The secret? Reno! Use this liver spread instead of fresh chicken livers; you can have the sarsa ready to enjoy in no time!
- In a saucepot over medium heat, bring to a boil enough lightly salted water to cover the liver. Add liver and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain well and discard liquid. Mash the cooked livers with a fork or finely chop with a knife.
- In a sauce pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add vinegar and water, and boil uncovered and without stirring for a few minutes to boil off the strong acid taste.
- Season with sugar, salt, and pepper. Add mashed cooked liver and continue to cook, stirring regularly until well-combined.
- Add breadcrumbs and cook until sauce is thickened as desired. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Quick tip
I like it a little chunky. If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mang Tomas a lechon sauce?
While Mang Tomas started as a liver sauce to accompany lechon, this condiment brand is now marketed as an all-purpose sauce to use with fried or grilled meats and other Filipino favorites.
What is lechon sauce made of?
This homemade sarsa recipe is made of liver, vinegar, bread crumbs, sugar, aromatics, and spices for a delicious medley of sweet, tangy, and savory. Some of the commercially prepared sauces no longer contain liver.
How to serve and store
- Lechon sarsa is the perfect dipping sauce for dishes such as crispy pata, lechon manok, lumpiang shanghai, kikiam, and other fried foods. You can also use it to turn leftover meat into a tasty paksiw na lechon.
- This homemade sauce has no preservatives and will spoil more quickly than the commercial sauce. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ยพ cup vinegar
- 3 cups water
- ยพ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cooked chicken livers, mashed
- โ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a sauce pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add vinegar and water. Boil, uncovered, for about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add sugar, salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Add mashed cooked liver and continue to cook, stirring regularly until well-combined.
- Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring well, until sauce is thickened as desired.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve as a dipping sauce.
To cook chicken livers
- In a saucepot over medium heat, bring to a boil enough lightly salted water to cover the liver.
- Add liver and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain well and discard liquid.
- Alternatively, grill chicken livers in a single layer over hot coals until cooked through.
- Or, in a wide pan over medium heat, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add chicken livers in a single layer and fry, turning as needed, until cooked through.
- Mash the cooked livers with a fork or finely chop with a knife.
Notes
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Loreta Bourdeau says
If I don't have fresh liver can I use liver spread instead?
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, you can.
Luis Lagera says
Love this recipe! Always wanted to give cooking this sauce a chance - thanks for sharing!