Longganisang Tuguegarao and Mongo with Tinapa Flakes

Mongo with Tinapa, Longganisang Tuguegarao, and Ilocos vinegar with crushed garlic.

You have to try longganisang Tuguegarao, it's so good. I like mine a little burnt, so its crunchy in the outside and then succulent and sharp and garlicky inside. For over a month now, we have been enjoying longganisang Tuguegarao, scrimping on the sausages (with quotas to boot, 3 pcs each per meal etc), afraid that the supply will run out cause then we would have to contact out source for our next fix....And we like eating the longganisa with hot Mongo soup. Its such a perfect match....
Anyway, the longganisang Tuguegarao you can get from anyone whos from Tuguegarao. This should be their pasalubong when they come from the province (Insist! Ha.). I dont know what the secret of the longganisa is - but you just wont get tired of the taste. The Longganisa is certainly a Spanish legacy...or so I thought.
Longganisa vs Chorizo. I always believed that chorizos were the fat sausages in the South (where I come from) and the longganisas were the relatively smaller ones from the North (Luzon). According to one guide to sausages: Fresh Sausages: The Mexican chorizo is a rusty red sausage flavored with garlic, chili powder and other spices, There are several regional variations. Spicy and Coarse textured. Cured Sausages: Spanish version of this sausage is flavored with cayenne, pimiento, or other hot chili peppers. Resembles pepperoni in size and shape. Longaniza is the Portuguese version.
So there, the name doesnt really matter, longaniza is the Portuguese term. The difference in taste is a matter of culinary evolution/history. Even in the places where the chorizo/longaniza originated, there are regional variations.

For the Mongo with Tinapa flakes, heres my modified recipe:

Mongo with Tinapa Flakes:

Ingredients:

2 cups mongo
5 pcs tinapa
1 head of garlic (minced)
2 pieces tomatoes
1 cup of dried shrimp
ground chicharon
salt
oil
water

Procedure:

1. Soak the mongo beans for 30 minutes and then boil in 5 cups of water until the beans are tender. Set aside.
2. Fry the tinapa. Set aside to cool. Flake it (himay?).
3. In a sauce pa, heat a table spoon of oil.
4. Saute the minced garlic. Add the sliced tomatoes.
5. Then add the 1 cup of dried shrimp and thenadd the flakes of tinapa.
6. Add the softened mongo beans.
7. Let simmer. Add powdered chicharon.
8. Season to taste.
9. Serve

Note: Mongo beans tend to soak the water so I kept adding water while the mongo was simmering. Also, best to use smaller tinapa than the big ones. The big ones have bigger bones and it can be irritating to eat the soup when the fish bones get in the way.