Ilocano Pork Lauya Recipe: Boiled Pork Soup with Sukang Iloko

Pork nilaga vs Lauya

I came across this thread arguing whether pork lauya ang nilaga are the same, and it made me lol. Technically? Sure. They’re both clear pork soups with boiled vegetables doing their best. But once you taste them, you know. Nilaga is polite. Lauya is a cross between nilaga and paksiw.

Panlasang Pinoy’s Pork Nilaga goes the usual route: pork belly, onions, peppercorns, fish sauce, potatoes, saba, pechay. Sometimes they throw in a pork cube for that ‘restauranty” taste. It’s a reliable dish. The kind that shows up, does its job, and doesn’t ask questions.

Lauya, though, has a little more attitude. It starts with pork shank on the bone, which produces a ramen-like, gelatinous, whitish soup. I love this when slow boiled for hours and hours on wood fire and the bones are almost falling apart from the pork. Then the layers of vegetables come in. There’s gabi, potato, cabbage, sayote, or maybe papaya if the mood strikes. A splash of sukang Iloko (or sinigang powder, if you’re out) keeps the funky, older cuts from getting too bold or maanggo. The saba balances it all out, lending that subtle sweetness that makes it feel finished. I just watched Erwan Heusaff’s Lauya version (of Feater) before this and no that’s not what I had growing up. His version has tomatoes, which he says is where the sweetness comes from. I think it’s from the saba which is the main difference from Nilaga (apart from the vinegar).

Sukang Iloko vs. Sinigang Powder

Some home cooks shortcut the sharpness with sinigang mix. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it gives the soup a bit of punch. But if you have it, sukang Iloko plays smarter. It’s dark, woody, and doesn’t overpower. A quick pour is enough to round things out and keep the broth clean, without sending it into full sour mode ala sinigang or even paksiw. If you happen to have kamias on your backyard, this will also work in a pinch. The main thing is the tang you get when the soup hits your mouth.

Rosales Signature

My father’s Lauya version always came with laurel leaves. (He was from Rosales, Pangasinan). That was his tell. You could smell the woodiness on the soup before the bowl even landed on the table. I could even tell he was the one who cooked without asking. (which is also why I sometimes throw in laurel leaves to basic nilaga when I’m not as focused cooking).

Here’s the basic recipe. It’s more of a throw together kind of thing and the recipe works with basic estimates.