Iconic Filipino street food of chicken or pig intestines, thoroughly cleaned, boiled, then folded accordion-style onto skewers and char-grilled. Dunked into communal spiced vinegar, it is the flagship of the Philippines' after-work streetside grilling culture.
Also known as: isaw, isaw manok, isaw baboy, grilled chicken intestines, Filipino intestine skewers, IUD skewers Philippines
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken intestines
- Coarse salt and 120 ml vinegar, for scrubbing
- 1 onion, 6 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp peppercorns, for the boil
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 60 ml banana ketchup
- 20 g brown sugar and 30 ml oil
- Bamboo skewers
- Sawsawan: cane vinegar with garlic, chili and onion
How to make it
- 1
Strip the intestines of their contents, then scrub with coarse salt, rinse, scrub again with vinegar, and rinse until the water runs perfectly clear.
- 2
Boil with onion, garlic, bay and peppercorns 30-45 minutes until tender, then drain and pat dry.
- 3
Fold each length accordion-style onto a skewer, packing the pleats tight.
- 4
Whisk soy, banana ketchup, sugar and oil, and grill the skewers over hot coals 5-6 minutes, basting and turning until the edges char and bubble.
- 5
Dunk in the spiced vinegar and eat immediately, standing up if possible.
Pro tip: Clean, then clean again: two full scrub cycles, salt then vinegar, before anything touches heat. Every shortcut in the sink announces itself in the first bite, which is why respected isaw vendors are famous for their washing, not their glaze.
