Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Filipino Pork Humba
菲律賓甜酸豉油炆豬肉
Recipe overview
Blanch and brown pork belly, then braise it with soy, cane vinegar, brown sugar, fermented black beans and dried banana blossoms.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 900 g, cut into 4 cm pieces skin-on pork belly
- 40 g; soak in 500 ml warm water dried banana blossoms
- 6 cloves, crushed garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 1.2 litres, for blanching water
Braising sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 70 g brown sugar
- 80 ml light soy sauce
- 80 ml cane vinegar
- 2 tbsp, rinsed and drained fermented black beans (tausi)
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 600 ml water (for braising)
02
Tools
- raw-meat cutting board
- clean vegetable cutting board
- chef's knife
- 2 large bowls
- large saucepan
- colander
- heavy pot with lid
- wooden spoon
- measuring spoons and jug
- clean plate
- food thermometer
- kitchen paper
- clean serving bowl
- clean fork
03
Steps
Step 1
Soak banana blossoms
First put dried banana blossoms 40 g in a large bowl, add warm water 500 ml and soak 15 minutes until flexible; drain, rinse and squeeze dry.
Step 2
Cut pork belly
First crush garlic 6 cloves with the chef's knife on the clean vegetable cutting board and move it to a clean plate; then use the raw-meat board to cut skin-on pork belly 900 g into even 4 cm pieces.
Step 3
Blanch and rinse
Bring water 1.2 litres to a boil in the large saucepan; add pork belly 900 g and boil hard 5 minutes until foam rises, then drain, rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Step 4
Brown pork belly
Heat cooking oil 1 tbsp in the heavy pot over medium-high for 1 minute; brown pork in 2 batches for 5 minutes each until skin and cut faces are golden, then plate.
Step 5
Cook garlic and black beans
Pour off fat, leaving about 1 tbsp; cook crushed garlic 6 cloves for 30 seconds, then fermented black beans 2 tbsp for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 6
Add soy and sugar
Return pork to the heavy pot; add brown sugar 70 g, light soy sauce 80 ml, bay leaves 3 and peppercorns 1 tsp, then stir over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Step 7
Add cane vinegar
Pour cane vinegar 80 ml around the pot edge and cook over medium heat without stirring for 2 minutes until the sharp vinegar smell softens.
Step 8
Add water and boil
Add braising water 600 ml, stir once with the wooden spoon, heat on high about 4 minutes to a boil and skim surface fat.
Step 9
Braise pork slowly
Turn to the lowest heat, cover and simmer pork, garlic, black beans, bay leaves and peppercorns for 50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.
Step 10
Add banana blossoms
Add soaked banana blossoms 40 g to the heavy pot, press into the sauce, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes until soft and seasoned.
Step 11
Check and reduce
Confirm pork centres reach at least 75°C and pierce easily with a clean fork; remove bay leaves, then boil uncovered over medium for 5 minutes until sauce coats the spoon.
Step 12
Rest and serve
Turn off heat and rest pork belly, banana blossoms and black beans in the heavy pot for 5 minutes, then transfer with the wooden spoon to a clean white serving bowl.
Common mistakes
- Wet pork belly splatters and will not brown.
- Stirring immediately after adding vinegar traps a harsh acidic smell.
- High heat throughout scorches the sugar and soy sauce.
- Reducing before the pork pierces easily leaves it tough.
Tips
Let vinegar boil for 2 minutes before stirring. Pork softening varies; if still firm after 50 minutes, add hot water 50 ml and braise 10 minutes at a time.
