How can I cook my pork blood?

[Jennifer Brizzi]

I bought 10 ounces of frozen pork blood in my local Southeast Asian store today and the Thai proprietess asked me what I was going to do with it. I said maybe some kind of blood sausage/boudin and she suggested a Vietnamese dish called bun something, which sounds like it has noodles in it. Not surprisingly, none of my half dozen Vietnamese cookbooks have any pig blood recipes.

I was so glad to find such an exotic product that I bought before I thought, and now I don't know what to do with it. Any recipes or ideas from anywhere in the world would be most welcome. Thanks!

[Busboy]

Theoretically, you should use the blood of the animal you're stewing, but I believe even Paula Wolfert allows substituting pig's blood in her recipe for civet, a traditional French stew, often made with rabbit, in which the broth is thickened with blood.

ETA: Of course, if you can find pig's blood, you may even be able to find wild boar -- any game will do in a civet, venison works, too. And then you'd have matching blood types and your civet would be totally....not Kosher, but you get my drift.

[Jennifer Brizzi]

Thanks, Busboy, I did find a recipe for a simple dish from the Phillippines with pork meat and pork blood (Jeff Smith's Immigrant Ancestors), and I do have some venison on hand...And where is Paula Wolfert's civet recipe? I don't see it in my old Cooking of Southwest France.

[Carrot Top]

If you can locate a copy of Jane Grigson's "Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery" there is an entire chapter devoted to "Blood and Black Puddings". Twelve recipes, all with ingredients easily found.

[Busboy]

Thanks, Busboy, I did find a recipe for a simple dish from the Phillippines with pork meat and pork blood (Jeff Smith's Immigrant Ancestors), and I do have some venison on hand...And where is Paula Wolfert's civet recipe? I don't see it in my old Cooking of Southwest France.

←

It's included in the new edition, but the whole blood thing is a little vague. Apparently you include the blood and liver that come out of the hare (rabbit, as I recall on re-reading, is too wussy for the full treatment), however much that may be. I can't post the recipe out of copyright consideration (especially for a fellow eGullet host) but I can give you more details via PM.

[eje]

I think it is Bun Bo Hue, which sometimes contains congealed blood.

Here's a version from recipe gullet:

Bun Bo Hue

Though, this particular one doesn't mention blood.

[Abra]

Well, you can make blood sausage as I did here, but it's a big commitment. Plus, you have to be nuts.

I had a Vietnamese spicy beef soup with beef blood a couple of days ago - the blood was congealed into cubes, and I'm not sure how they accomplish that. It's good, though - tastes like liver. Pork blood is a lot more neutral-tasting.

[mizducky]

I think it is Bun Bo Hue, which sometimes contains congealed blood.

Here's a version from recipe gullet:

Bun Bo Hue

Though, this particular one doesn't mention blood.

←

I too am thinking that the soup you mean is bun bo Hue, which traditionally is garnished with a few cubes of congealed pork blood. Alas, I have no idea how they prepare the blood. Maybe they just let it stand in a pan until it congeals naturally, but I'm just totally guessing here. I have seen big blocks of already-congealed pork blood available for sale in the meat departments of local Vietnamese grocery stores--perhaps many people prefer to buy it already prepared that way, and then chop it into cubes for the soup? Again, just guessing ...

Here's a photo of some bun bo Hue, with a couple of cubes of pork blood showing, from my last foodblog:

And here is a recipe I found out on the web for a pretty authentic-looking bun bo Hue with pork blood--click here--note it assumes you've bought the pork blood already congealed, and then instructs you to cook it separately from the rest of the soup and add it in at the end.

[Domestic Goddess]

To make the pork blood congeal, mix a little of vinegar with it and let sit in the refrigerator. When the whole block has congealed, cut into cubes. Drop in simmering congee and sprinkle with toasted garlic bits. Add a little fish sauce and splash of calamansi or lemon juice and then sprinkling of pepper. Enjoy!

[Jennifer Brizzi]

Wow!! Thanks so much for the tips. Abra, I love your pigicide tales, highly entertaining, and they have thoroughly convinced me not to make the blood sausage this time, although I too am entirely nuts. I think I'll do bun bo hue or another Asian dish. I do have a bunch of bun bo hue recipes, plus the two y'all have so kindly given me. My husband says he remembers having soup with pig blood cubes when we were in Vietnam a few years ago, and he didn't like them that much, too livery, he said. I have absolutely no memory of that at all, so will have to make some. Thanks for all the helpful advice!

Edited March 30, 2007 by Jennifer Brizzi (log)

[sharonb]

As noted, the advice is usually to make the same animal with the blood, but since chicken blood is hard to come by (aside from being on a farm), I would suggest a great dish from the central Berry region in France, where I used to spend summers on a farm and Mme Bonnin would kill the chicken, save the blood in a bowl, and that evening we'd prepare a "poulet en barbouille" - which is like a coq au vin but with the sauce thickened with blood at the end. Delicious stuff. I can describe or provide a recipe if curiosity is there...

[Shelby]

Bump.

 

I'm looking for a recipe for pig's blood cake that includes rice---I wish this article by Serious Eats contained more instructions.  Can anyone help me?

 

 

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

Bump.

 

I'm looking for a recipe for pig's blood cake that includes rice---I wish this article by Serious Eats contained more instructions.  Can anyone help me?

 

 

 

I've eaten it, but have no idea how to make it. It really is street food rather than something people make at home, so recipes may be hard to come across.

[Shelby]

44 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

I've eaten it, but have no idea how to make it. It really is street food rather than something people make at home, so recipes may be hard to come across.

That's what I'm finding.

 

Do you like it?

 

I have a tub of pig's blood and thought this sounded really good.

[liuzhou]

33 minutes ago, Shelby said:

That's what I'm finding.

 

Do you like it?

 

I have a tub of pig's blood and thought this sounded really good.

 

I only had the once, but I liked it, but then I like blood in general. I often buy congealed pig blood in the supermarket and add to soups or soupy noodle dishes.

 

 

I also love the local blood sausage made with pig's blood and a rice filler.

 

The local market also sells chicken's blood. Must try it.