Impress your family and friends with this easy and satisfying Pork Pata Humba! This Filipino dish boasts caramelized pork in a rich and tangy sauce, sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
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Humba, a beloved Filipino dish, is traditionally made with pork belly. However, using pork hock adds a unique twist, infusing the stew with rich, meaty flavors and a luscious texture. This humble yet hearty recipe brings together tender hock, savory black beans, fragrant garlic, and tangy pineapple juice, creating a symphony of flavors that dance on your palate with every bite.
If you love flavorful pork recipes, you’ll also enjoy other Filipino classics like Menudo, Belly Sisig, Caldereta, Pork Bistek, Tinumis, Filipino Guisantes, and Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Each of these recipes brings its own unique taste to the table, perfect for satisfying your cravings.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- Rich, Bold Flavors: The combination of pork hock, black beans, garlic, and pineapple juice creates a mouthwatering savory-sweet flavor.
- Tender Pork Hock: Slow-cooked to perfection, the pork hock becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, making every bite irresistible.
- Simple Ingredients: Humba uses easy-to-find ingredients, making it a budget-friendly option for any home cook.
- Versatile Dish: This dish is perfect for both casual family meals and special occasions, offering flexibility in how you serve it.
- Traditional Filipino Comfort Food: Humba brings the comforting taste of Filipino home-cooked meals with a hearty, soul-warming experience.
🍲What is Humba?
The term "Humba" is derived from the Chinese word "hong-ba," which means braised belly. It reflects the Chinese influence on Filipino cuisine, particularly in regions with significant Chinese communities.
📖What is Pork Hock?
Pork hock, also known as knuckle or ham hock, is a flavorful and tender cut of meat from the pig's leg joint, prized for its rich flavor and succulent texture, often used in soups, stews, and braised dishes for its depth of flavor and ability to become tender when cooked low and slow.
💡Why Did I Opt for Pork Hock Instead of Belly?
Hock was chosen for the recipe due to its rich flavor and tender texture when slow-cooked, allowing it to absorb the sweet and savory flavors of the sauce while providing a satisfyingly meaty bite, offering a delightful variation from the traditional pork belly.
🥘Ingredients
- Pork Belly or Hock: This is chosen for its rich flavor and tender texture.
- Soy Sauce and Oyster Sauce: This savory umami powerhouse!
- Black Beans or Fermented Black Beans: These earthy legumes or their fermented counterparts contribute depth and richness to the dish.
- Garlic and Onion: These aromatic ingredients form the flavor base of our dish, adding depth and complexity to the sauce.
- Pineapple Tidbits and Juice: A touch of sweetness from pineapple balances out the savory and tangy flavors in this dish.
- Vinegar (cane vinegar): This provides the signature tanginess and acidic note that cuts through the richness of the dish.
- Dried Banana Blossoms: These unique and delicate blossoms add a subtle floral aroma and a tender texture.
- Brown Sugar: A hint of sweetness!
- Beef Cube: Adds depth and richness to the sauce.
- Pepper Corns - Contribute a subtle heat and peppery flavor to the dish.
- Bay Leaves and Star Anise These aromatic leaves add a subtle herbal note and warmth to this dish!
- Cooking Oil: A neutral cooking oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil or canola oil for browning the meat.
Substitution and Addition
- Pork Belly: You can easily swap hock with belly for a fattier, melt-in-your-mouth experience.
- Chicken Thighs: If you're looking for a lighter option, chicken thighs can be used instead of pork for a similar, but leaner, dish.
- Vinegar: If pineapple juice isn’t available, vinegar with a bit of sugar works as a tangy substitute for balancing flavors.
- Mushrooms: For added texture and umami, stir in sautéed mushrooms toward the end of cooking.
- Black Beans: If black beans you can omit it if you prefer a simpler stew.
🔪How to Cook Humba?
- Prepare the Ingredients: Gather all your ingredients - pork belly or hock, soy sauce, black beans or fermented black beans, garlic, onion, pineapple juice, dried banana blossoms, brown sugar, bay leaves, star anise, peppercorns, vinegar (cane vinegar), beef cube, and cooking oil.
- Marinate: In a large bowl, marinate the belly or hock with soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Sauté the Aromatics: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion until fragrant and translucent.
- Browning: Add the marinated pork belly or hock to the pot, reserving the marinade. Brown the pork on all sides until it develops a rich golden color.
- Simmer with Sauce: Pour in the reserved marinade, along with the beef cube, black beans or fermented black beans, pineapple juice, peppercorns, star anise, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Cook Low and Slow: Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the Humba simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the pork is tender and the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Add Dried Banana Blossoms: About 30 minutes before the Humba is done cooking, add the dried banana blossoms to the pot. This allows them to rehydrate and infuse their flavors into the dish.
- Adjust Seasoning: Taste the Humba and adjust the seasoning with salt or additional soy sauce and vinegar, if needed, to suit your taste preferences.
- Serve and Enjoy: Once the pork is tender and the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove the bay leaves and serve the Pork Humba hot over steamed rice. Garnish with chopped green onions or cilantro, if desired, and enjoy the rich and flavorful dish!
Variations
- Pineapple Humba: Add fresh pineapple chunks for a sweeter, more tropical flavor twist.
- Spicy Humba: Throw in some chili flakes or chopped fresh chili to give the dish a spicy kick.
- Vegetarian Humba: Replace the pork with tofu or mushrooms for a plant-based alternative while keeping the sauce and seasonings the same.
- Humba with Potatoes: Add potatoes or sweet potatoes for a more hearty, stew-like consistency, perfect for soaking up the sauce.
- Crispy Humba: After simmering the hock, fry the pieces until crispy for a delightful texture contrast.
Top tip
For maximum flavor, marinate the pork hock in the soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar mixture overnight or for several hours before cooking. This allows the meat to absorb the flavors deeply, resulting in a more flavorful and tender Humba.
Additionally, searing the pork hock before simmering adds an extra layer of richness and depth to the dish.
🍚What To Serve With This?
- Steamed White Rice: The perfect accompaniment to soak up the rich and savory sauce of Humba.
- Pickled Green Papaya (Atchara): The tangy and slightly sweet flavors of Atchara provide a refreshing contrast to the rich and hearty Humba.
- Stir-fried Bok Choy: Lightly seasoned bok choy adds a fresh and crunchy element to balance out the richness of Humba.
- Garlic Fried Rice: Fragrant garlic fried rice makes a flavorful and satisfying side dish that pairs well with the bold flavors of Humba.
- Sauteed Greens: Serve with sautéed bok choy, kangkong (water spinach) or green beans for a healthy, vibrant side dish that complements the savory meat.
- Crunchy Chili Garlic Oil: Drizzle a little chili garlic oil for a spicy kick that enhances the dish’s flavors and adds extra heat.
Recipe FAQs
The main difference between Humba and Adobo lies in their flavor profiles and ingredients.
While both are Filipino stewed dishes typically made with pork or chicken, Humba is characterized by its sweeter taste due to the addition of ingredients like pineapple juice and sweet soy sauce, whereas Adobo has a more savory and tangy flavor with the use of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic as its primary ingredients.
The primary difference between Pata Tim and Humba lies in the choice of meat and cooking methods.
Pata Tim traditionally uses pork leg (pata) simmered whole in a sweet and savory sauce, while Humba typically features pork belly or hock stewed in a similar sauce with added ingredients like pineapple juice and fermented black beans, resulting in a richer and more complex flavor profile.
The key difference between Estofado and Humba lies in their culinary influences and ingredients.
Estofado is a Filipino-Spanish dish featuring pork or chicken stewed in a tomato-based sauce with potatoes and carrots, while Humba is a traditional Filipino dish with Chinese influences, showcasing belly or hock cooked in a sweet and savory sauce often containing pineapple juice and fermented black beans, resulting in distinct flavor profiles representative of their respective cultural backgrounds.
Pork Humba can be enjoyed in moderation, but it’s a rich dish due to the use of pork hock and sugar. For a healthier version, you can use leaner cuts of meat or reduce the amount of sugar.
Yes, Pork Humba has a slightly sweet taste from the pineapple juice and brown sugar. The sweetness balances out the savory and salty flavors of the dish perfectly.
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📋Recipe
Pork Pata Humba Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot or dutch pan
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork hock or pork belly
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cups water
- 20 oz pineapple tidbits with juice
- 1 piece dried bay leaf
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ½ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 piece beef cubes
- ¼ cup fermented black beans
- 1 tablespoon pepper corns
- 2 pieces star anise
- ½ cup banana blossoms
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients - pork belly or hock, soy sauce, black beans or fermented black beans, garlic, onion, pineapple juice, dried banana blossoms, brown sugar, bay leaves, star anise, pepper corns, vinegar (cane vinegar), beef cube, and cooking oil.
- In a large bowl, marinate the pork belly or hock with soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion until fragrant and translucent.
- Add the marinated pork belly or hock to the pot, reserving the marinade. Brown the pork on all sides until it develops a rich golden color.
- Simmer with Sauce: Pour in the reserved marinade, along with water, beef cube, black beans or fermented black beans, pineapple juice, pepper corns, star anise and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the Pork Humba simmer gently for 1 hour or until the pork is tender and the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
- About 30 minutes before the Pork Humba is done cooking, add the dried banana blossoms to the pot. This allows them to rehydrate and infuse their flavors into the dish.
- Taste the Pork Humba and adjust the seasoning with salt or additional soy sauce and vinegar, if needed, to suit your taste preferences.
- Once the pork is tender and the sauce has thickened to your liking, remove the bay leaves and serve the Pork Humba hot over steamed rice. Garnish with chopped green onions or cilantro, if desired, and enjoy the rich and flavorful dish!
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