One aspect I love most about recipe development is the pile of scraps I build up while testing the dish. After the pork bun dish (link), I was left with a bunch of scraps and pieces I wasn’t able to finish or give away and shiitake mushrooms from the braise. Drawing inspiration from sisig, a common Filipino bar food, I decided to make a hash. I found some Japanese sweet potatoes laying around my house and used them to replace your regular potato in a normal hash. Japanese sweet potatoes are great - they’re sweet, firm and have a great creamy texture. I cut them into irregular chunks, parboiled them with a bit of fish sauce and rice vinegar, and let them cool overnight.

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I cut up the pork belly and shiitake mushrooms to about the same size, a medium-small dice. I also diced up 2 small onions and 2 cloves of garlic.

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In the meantime, I had a few eggs going in the sousvide, cooking to 62.5℃ for 1.5 hours. This is the perfect temperature where the whites and yolks have about the same texture and consistency. The result is a thick, gooey egg that blankets the hash.

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Once all of my mise en place is ready, I begin by heating a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add in some neutral oil and a pad of butter and begin to fry up the pork belly and shiitake mushrooms, rendering out some of that fat. Once it begins browning and crisping up, I remove it from the pan, leaving the residual oil behind.

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Then I begin frying up the sweet potato in the leftover fat, just until they begin to brown on all sides. After taking the potatoes out, I saute the onions and garlic with just a pinch of salt, layering the flavors. Add back in the sweet potatoes, pork belly, and shiitake mushrooms, mix it up and let it go for a few minutes, creating a crust on the bottom of the pan. I seasoned this hash with fish sauce, a touch of apple cider vinegar, and chili oil. I also mixed in a little Japanese mayo mixed with chicken liver pate for extra umami and richness. This also helps evenly brown the hash. Mayo is commonly used in sisig to add a rich, creamy texture and depth of flavor and liver is a typical ingredient in sisig as well, giving it its characteristic flavor.

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I topped the dish with the sousvide eggs and a scallion salad. Garnished with a dust of gochugaru - Korean red pepper flake - a drizzle of chili oil and sesame oil, and a few sprinkles of maldon sea salt, concentrated in various areas for sharp contrast and texture as you’re eating.

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To accompany any good hash, you need good, buttered toast. I took some leftover black garlic baos (link) and toasted them in a pan with a little butter. As they were browning, I whipped up some room temperature butter with a bit of miso and honey. Once the baos were ready, I opened them up and spread a generous helping of the miso honey butter. These are the perfect accompaniment to this hash, giving you something to dip into the creamy eggs, and a vehicle to mop up the hash.