A bold Ilocano-inspired dish made with tender octopus, crisped in the pan, then tossed in a creamy-vinegary dressing with fresh onions and chilies. Perfect pulutan or ulam with a punch.
Ingredients Tips:
• Use fresh octopus if available—frozen works too but ensure proper thawing
• Adjust vinegar to your liking; Ilocano-style is usually more sour
• Red bell pepper adds color and crunch—optional but recommended
Cooking Tips:
• Don’t overboil the octopus—check tenderness after 40 minutes to avoid rubbery texture
• Pan-frying adds texture and intensifies flavor—don’t skip this step
• Let the dish sit in the sauce for a few minutes to absorb flavor before serving
Dinakdakang Pugita
A bold Ilocano-inspired dish made with tender octopus, crisped in the pan, then tossed in a creamy-vinegary dressing with fresh onions and chilies. Perfect pulutan or ulam with a punch.
Ingredients
- 1 large 2 kg pugita (octopus)
- Cornstarch for rubbing
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 3 thumb-sized ginger sliced
- 2 pcs bay leaves
- 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
- 2 liters water
- Cooking oil for pan frying
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp plain mayonnaise
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup vinegar
add-ins
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 2 pcs green chilies chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
Instructions
- Massage octopus with cornstarch to remove slime and odor, rinse thoroughly with water
- In a pot, add octopus, salt, ginger, peppercorns, and water, boil until tender (about 45 minutes)
- Slice the cooked octopus into bite-sized pieces
- In a pan, pan-fry the octopus until lightly crisped, add oil if needed, then set aside
- In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, garlic powder, sugar, salt, black pepper, and vinegar, mix well
- Toss in onions, chilies, red bell pepper, and the pan-fried octopus, mix until well coated
- Chill before serving for better flavor, or serve immediately as pulutan or with rice
