Hardinera Recipe (Lucban Jardinera)

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Philippine cuisine is not in want of meatloaf recipes. We have the embutido and morcon and it seems as if Filipinos can turn almost the same ingredients into different recipes every time they cook.

Evidence of the fact is Hardinera recipe.

A dish coming from the Quezon province, the list of ingredients is similar to the ingredients included in Menudo, only that, in Hardinera, you have the dish in a Llanera and you have more eggs into the recipe.

Similar to the Embutido and Morcon, the tediousness of the preparation makes Hardinera a kind of dish that will usually be whipped up during special occasions such as fiestas and celebrations.

Hardinera Recipe (Lucban Jardinera)

Hardinera recipe, if we are going to simplify things, is made up of two major set of ingredients.

The first one is the Beaten eggs (which are supposed to hold all of the cooked ingredients together and give it texture) and the second one is the Pork mixture (made up of all of the other ingredients) which is admittedly, the Pork Menudo-like part of the recipe (again, with the constant tomato sauce usually seen in Spanish-influenced dishes).

These two sets of ingredients are supposed to be layered evenly to contribute to that meaty and savory taste of the Hardinera.

Lined with either banana leaf or clear plastic, the Llanera serves as the mold for this dish as what is supposed to be for this meatloaf-type of a recipe.

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Hardinera Recipe Preparation

Steam the Hardinera for 50 minutes and remove it from the llanera.

Since the steaming process is already cooking in itself, you can serve the jardinera right after you have steamed it or you can still refrigerate it and enjoy it for later.

As with other tomato-based and sausage-type recipes, this will always be partnered with steaming white rice and ketchup as dip.

Hardinera Ingredients
Hardinera Recipe (Lucban Jardinera)

Filipino meatloaf Recipe Hardinera (Lucban Jardinera)

Joost Nusselder
Hardinera recipe, if we are going to simplify things, is made up of two major set of ingredients. The first one is the Beaten eggs (which are supposed to hold all of the cooked ingredients together and give it texture) and the second one is the Pork mixture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 4 people
Calories 370 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ kilo pork diced into small cubes
  • 340 gram can luncheon meat diced into small cubes
  • ½ small-sized chorizo diced into small cubes
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 small-sized onion chopped
  • 2 pcs sliced pineapple drained, diced into small cubes
  • ½ small green bell pepper roasted, diced
  • ½ small red bell pepper roasted, diced
  • ½ small-sized carrot diced into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp sweet pickled relish
  • 50 grams raisins (sultanas and apricot raisins)
  • 1 small can liver spread
  • ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • cooking oil

for garnishing:

  • 2 pcs sliced pineapple drained
  • ½ small green bell pepper roasted, cut into strips
  • ½ small red bell pepper roasted, cut into strips
  • ½ small-sized carrot sliced into florets
  • 1 hardboiled egg sliced or quartered
  • 1 egg beaten

Instructions
 

  • In a sauce pan saute garlic and onion until fragrant.
  • Add in the pork and chorizo.
  • Stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add in fish sauce and tomato paste.
  • Stir cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add enough water up to about 1 inch over the meat.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pork are tender.
  • Add more water as necessary.
  • Now continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated and only an oily sauce remains. Stirring continuously to avoid burning.
  • Remove from heat and mix in all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Let cool down.
  • Arrange slices of hard boiled eggs, pineapple, green and red pepper strips on the bottom of the mould or llanera.
  • Pour over half of the beaten egg over the garnishing.
  • Fill the Hardinera mixture into the mould or llanera.
  • Press top to smoothen.
  • Pour the remaining half of the beaten egg over the Hardinera mixture.
  • Cover the mould or llanera with foil.
  • Bake for 275ᵒF to 300ᵒF for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • If the hardinera is cooking to fast reduce the temperature.
  • Alternately wrap the mould or llanera to seal with aluminium foil and steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • To serve run the handle of a spoon or fork along the sides of mould or llanera to loosen the hardinera.
  • Invert onto a serving platter and tap mould or llanera lightly to release.
  • Slice and serve with or without ketchup.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcal
Keyword Meatloaf, Pork
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

In this recipe:

haetae-sweet-pickled-radish

(view more images)

patis fish sauce

(view more images)

These are the cooking steps:

Pork and vegetables in a wok
Pork vegetables and tomato sauce in a wok
Hardinera mixture filled into a mould

Though the Hardinera recipe can be served during special occasions, with its Menudo-like consistency and its hardened texture, you can also serve this as a viand for lunch and dinner.

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Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.

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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.