Bopis or Bopiz in Spanish is a hot and spicy Filipino dish with Spanish origin, it consists of pork lungs, heat and fat sautéed in chillies, onions and sometimes tomatoes.  Not just a popular dish but also a very popular pulutan (the Filipino version of Tapas) and can be seen in menus of bars and restaurants offered usually as a beer match.

Please understand that like in many Asian countries and surprisingly Scotland and other European nations, lights or lungs are a common food item in the Philippines along with the heart, liver and even spleen of a livestock or game. There are unique dishes which the common people of our country have successfully developed for the main purpose of using such peculiar meat parts, which other find no or very limited usage in the kitchen, into acceptable daily meals. These I believe are normal occurrences in a country where the population is continuously exploding and shortage of food remains a perennial problem.

Bobpis dish is made from finely diced pork or beef lights (lungs) and heart sautéed in garlic, onions, tomatoes, chilies and flavored with natural vinegar. While in the first version I used a parboiled and finely diced lungs, this version 2 will totally omit the parboiling process and directly sauté the finely minced or ground raw lungs and heart instead. As the meat is finer, we could expect the dish to be richer in taste and smoother in texture.

 As I have mentioned before I love offal. My wife and children might be giving me a frown look but I have been exposed to such food and have learned to like them, really like them. I have shown this special affection by posting some odd Filipino dishes made from pork and beef entrails, innards, gonad, phallus and even blood like in the following dishes: ���Dinuguan��� or Pork Blood Stew, ���Goto��� or Beef Tripe Congee, ���Callos��� or Beef Tripe Stew and Soup Number 5 or Bull/Ox Gonad Soup.

For the more than 2 kilos beef lights our cook purchased for less than 5 USD, some fresh vegetables are necessary to re-create the sumptuous Filipino dish. About 2 large plum tomatoes, 1 head garlic, 3 medium onions, 1 large red bell pepper, 2 green chili peppers, 2 finger chilies, 1 medium carrot and 1 medium white radish or mooli.

To cook, thoroughly wash the beef lights, drain and place in a large pot, cover with enough water and boil for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the meat is just tender. Take out the lungs from the pot and let it cool a bit before dicing. Discard the liquid.

While the boiled lungs are cooling down, finely dice all the vegetable ingredients shown above. In addition, prepare about 쩌 cup vegetable oil, 2 tbs annatto oil (1/4 cup annatto seeds or "atsuete" steeped in 2 tbsp hot oil then strained to discard the seeds), 3 pcs bay leaves (���laurel���), 2 tsp salt or to taste, 2 tsp ground pepper, 쩍 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp fish sauce (���patis���) and 1 cup natural vinegar. The complete other ingredients are as shown here except for the about 3 cups beef or chicken stock or just water:

Finely dice the boiled lungs as well. Since more than 2 kilos beef lights is quite a lot of meat, dicing it is not an easy job. :-)

In a large thick pan heat about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and fry the garlic followed by onions and tomatoes. While sizzling, add in the fish sauce followed by salt and ground pepper. Then add the diced lungs and continue sautéing until the meat is sizzling in fat and aromatic. Add the annatto oil and then the vinegar. Let the vinegar boil without stirring.

When the liquid is already boiling, stir the meat to evenly mix the flavor. Then add all the remaining ingredients. Continue stirring to mix all ingredients evenly. Add the stock and simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings and level of vinegar. Continue simmering for some more minutes. When the liquid is reduced and has slightly thickened, it���s done.

Transfer in a large serving plate and serve with lots of rice. In the Philippines, the dish is usually served to Filipino men as bites or ���pulutan��� while drinking their favorite alcoholic beverages, like ���Sisig Pampanga��� and ���Imbaligtad���. But eating it as viand for steamed rice is now very common even for the ladies and young ones. After all, the level of kick can be adjusted so that it can be handled by everyone. This recipe, for one, is not really hot as I have group mates not really into chilies.

Enjoy this distinctly delicious dish. Try and see it for yourself. Once you taste the dish, you might change the way you look at animal lungs or lights as culinary ingredients. c���,)