Mang Tomas Style Sauce

Name: Mang Tomas Style Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 yellow onion, finely diced; 1 cup pork liver spread; 6 tbsp fine breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup cane vinegar; 1/4 cup dark brown sugar; 2 cups water; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp salt

A sweet, savory, and tangy Filipino liver sauce cooked with garlic, onion, vinegar, and breadcrumbs. It is the classic accompaniment for lechon, roasted pork, and fried cuts.

25 minEasyServes 895 cal/serving

FilipinoSauceStovetopStandardLow CarbNut-FreeDairy-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreeLow-Sodium

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Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 cup pork liver spread
6 tbsp fine breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cane vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2

Add 4 minced garlic cloves and 1 finely diced yellow onion and sauté for 3 minutes until soft.
3

Stir in 1 cup pork liver spread and cook for 2 minutes until fully incorporated.
4

Pour in 2 cups water, 1/4 cup cane vinegar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 6 tbsp fine breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt.
5

Simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes while stirring constantly until sauce thickens.

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About Mang Tomas Style Sauce

Also called: homemade Mang Tomas sauce, lechon sauce, Filipino liver sauce, sarsa

This is a homemade version of Mang Tomas, the bottled Filipino lechon sauce: a sweet, tangy, peppery gravy made from pork liver, vinegar, sugar and breadcrumbs. Mang Tomas is a brand name; the generic sauce is called lechon sauce or sarsa. Pork liver spread (sold in cans in Filipino and Asian groceries) does the work of the traditional mashed roast liver. The breadcrumbs thicken the sauce, the cane vinegar keeps it sharp, and the brown sugar balances the liver. Black pepper is what makes it taste like the bottled version.

It is served as a dipping sauce for lechon (whole roast pig), lechon kawali, fried pork belly and roast chicken. The finished sauce is thick, smooth and brown, with a pourable texture similar to gravy. It thickens further as it cools, so loosen it with a little water if needed. The flavor should be sweet first, then sour, then peppery.

Serving and keeping

Serve at room temperature or warm alongside roast or fried pork. Keeps 1 week in a sealed jar in the fridge; loosen with a splash of water when reheating.

Variations

Spicy

Add 1 or 2 minced chilies (siling labuyo) with the garlic and onion.

From fresh liver

Broil or pan-fry 4 oz pork or chicken liver, mash it smooth, and use it in place of the liver spread.

Smoother

Blend the finished sauce for a pourable, bottled-style texture.

If it goes wrong

Sauce is lumpy

Whisk the liver spread into the onions in step 3 until smooth before adding the liquid, and add the breadcrumbs while stirring.

Too thick

Whisk in water a tablespoon at a time. It thickens further as it cools.

Too thin

Simmer a few more minutes, stirring, or add another tablespoon of breadcrumbs.

Tastes flat or too sweet

Add more cane vinegar and black pepper a little at a time.

Substitutions

cane vinegar: white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. White vinegar is sharper; use slightly less.
pork liver spread: liver pate. A softer flavor; add a little extra pepper.
fine breadcrumbs: crushed saltine crackers. Thickens the same way; reduce the salt.

Questions

What should Mang Tomas Style Sauce look like when it is ready?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 5: cook until sauce thickens.

Is there a substitute for brown sugar in Mang Tomas Style Sauce?

The entry for Mang Tomas Style Sauce calls for 1/4 cup dark brown sugar. In its place: White sugar with a tablespoon of molasses per cup. Without molasses, plain white sugar works but bakes up crisper and paler.

Can I make Mang Tomas Style Sauce gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Mang Tomas Style Sauce is 6 tbsp fine breadcrumbs. Swap the bread or crumbs for a gluten-free loaf or gluten-free panko. Everything else proceeds as written.

Is Mang Tomas Style Sauce keto-friendly?

A serving of Mang Tomas Style Sauce carries 12 g of carbohydrate. Against a strict 20 g keto day that is 60 percent of the budget; against a moderate 100 g low-carb day it is 12 percent.

How many calories are in Mang Tomas Style Sauce?

One serving (the recipe makes 8) is about 95 calories, with 3 g protein, 12 g carbohydrate and 4 g fat, plus 280 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

How long does Mang Tomas Style Sauce keep?

Refrigerate Mang Tomas Style Sauce in a sealed jar and use it within four to five days. It also freezes flat in a bag for up to three months.

Serve it with

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