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Betamax (Grilled Coagulated Blood) Recipe

Betamax (Grilled Coagulated Blood) Recipe

Betamax is a Filipino street food delicacy made by boiling, setting, and grilling cubes of coagulated chicken or pork blood. Named after Betamax video tapes due to its rectangular shape, the blood is first seasoned, set in molds, then cooked adobo-style before being skewered and grilled or air-fried until charred. Served with a spicy-sour vinegar dipping sauce, it offers a unique combination of crispy exterior and tender interior, beloved both as street food and as pulutan (beer snacks) throughout the Philippines.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 4
Calories 120 kcal
Difficulty Medium

Equipment

  • Saucepan (para sa pagpapakulo ng tubig) for boiling water
  • Rectangular mold or container (panghulma) for setting the blood
  • Bamboo skewers (pantuhog) for grilling
  • Strainer (pangkula) for draining
  • Non-stick pan (kawaling hindi nadidikit) for adobo cooking
  • Basting brush (panghilamos ng sauce) for applying sauce
  • Your choice of: Charcoal grill (ihawan), Air fryer or Oven

Ingredients
 

For the Blood Base

  • 1 cup chicken blood or pork blood dugo ng manok o baboy
  • 1 teaspoon salt asin
  • 1 teaspoon pepper paminta
  • 5 cups water tubig

For Adobo Marinade

  • ½ chicken broth cube pantang manok
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder pulbos na bawang
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper dinurog na paminta
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce toyo
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar suka
  • ½ cup water tubig
  • 4 cloves garlic minced (bawang, dinurog)

BBQ Baste Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons oil mantika
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce toyo
  • ½ cup banana ketchup or regular ketchup ketsap

Spiced Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Sawsawan)

  • ¾ cup white vinegar suka
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce toyo
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce patis
  • Pinch of sugar asukal
  • 5 cloves garlic minced (bawang, dinurog)
  • 1 onion minced (sibuyas, dinurog)
  • 5 Thai chili peppers chopped (siling labuyo, tinadtad)
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste asin at paminta

Instructions
 

  • First, mix 1 cup of chicken or pork blood with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Set this aside.
  • Boil 5 cups of water in a pot. Once boiling, pour in your seasoned blood mixture. Watch as it starts to thicken. When it's thick, drain the water and pour the blood into a rectangular container. Let this cool down completely until it becomes firm.
  • Once firm, cut the blood into cubes. Place these cubes in a non-stick pan. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and ½ cup water. Let it boil.
  • While it's boiling, add ½ chicken broth cube, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 4 minced garlic cloves. Cook everything for 5 minutes, spooning the liquid over the blood cubes as it cooks.
  • Take the blood cubes out of the pan and let them cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, carefully put them on bamboo skewers.
  • For the basting sauce, mix 2 teaspoons oil, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and ½ cup ketchup in a bowl.
  • You can cook these skewers two ways:
  • If using an air-fryer: Brush the skewers with oil. Cook at 200°C for 5 minutes on each side. Before serving, brush them with your basting sauce.
  • If grilling: Cook on a charcoal grill for 10 minutes. While grilling, keep brushing them with your basting sauce until they get nicely charred.
  • For the dipping sauce, mix together ¾ cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, a pinch of sugar, 5 minced garlic cloves, 1 minced onion, and 5 chopped Thai chili peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve your Betamax hot with the dipping sauce on the side. Best enjoyed while still hot and crispy on the outside!

Tips from Lola's Kitchen

  • Use fresh blood from a trusted source for best results
  • Add kalamansi juice to the sawsawan for extra tang
  • Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before use to prevent burning
  • Don't skip the adobo cooking step - it adds essential flavor
  • Let the blood cool completely before cutting to prevent crumbling
 

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 15gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 580mgPotassium: 169mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 51IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 22mg
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