Pork Estofado

Pork Estofado is a Filipino pork dish made by cooking fried pork belly and fried semi ripe banana in a sauce made by pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, garlic, onion, water, sugar, bay leaves and oil. This is a sweet and savoury dish best partnered with some hot steaming rice. With the addition of the saba banana to the dish, the pork estofado instantly hypes up, making it your next favourite ulam. Yum!. When someone gave you a saba banana, it’s the sign to make some pork estofado! If you wanna know how to make this dish, read and follow the simple pork estofado recipe below. Happy cooking!

PORK ESTOFADO RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo pork belly
• 5 pieces saba bananas (semi-ripe)
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1 – 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Heat some oil in a pan and then fry the sliced saba bananas  until light brown. Flip to cook the other side. Set aside.
2. Using the same pan, raise the heat to high heat and then sear the pork belly slices until crispy and golden brown.   Flip to cook the other side. Wait for the oil to render from the fat. Transfer them to a container and set aside.
3. Reduce the oil from the pan. Add the garlic and onions then saute for a few minutes. Add the pork belly back to the pan and saute.
4. Pour the pineapple juice. Sprinkle some pepper and then add the soy sauce, and vinegar. Do not stir for 2 minutes. Then, add some water to help cook the pork. Cover the pan and let the pork simmer until tender.
5. Stir occasionally and check if the pork is tender. Add the bay leaves and brown sugar. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is reduced.
6. Add the fried bananas and red chilies. Stir gently to coat with the sauce. Turn the heat off.
7. Transfer the pork estofado to a serving plate. Enjoy this with a lot of hot steaming rice. Yum!

BANANAS NOT IN PAJAMAS

If you ask me the first fruit which comes into my mind, that would be banana. The banana is an elongated yellow fruit which comes in

Fun fact: We all know that banana is a fruit. But did you know that botanically speaking,  banana is a type of berry? Yes! You read that right! Its cousins would include tomatoes, avocadoes and oranges. Weird, right?

Bananas are called “saging” in Tagalog. Bananas used for cooking are called “plantains”.

KNOW YOUR BANANA

I always buy my fruits every Sunday morning where they are newly delivered from the market. Have you ever noticed that bananas have different types? They are usually be identified either with its thickness or length. Let me share some of the most famous bananas with you!

• Lakatan – The most common type of banana you see at the market. Has an average length of 4 to 5 inches. Has a bright yellow skin with a light yellow fruit. The lakatan is usually eaten raw.
• Saba – If the short and stout teapot would be a banana, then that would be the saba. They have a dull yellow color when ripe. This type of banana is usually used in savoury dishes like estofado and afritada. Surprisingly, this is also the type which is used in making your favorite banana ketchup.
• Senyorita – This is the cutest type of banana. You can compare its size with your fingers. Its average length ranges from 2 to 3 inches only. This type of banana is very delicate which is why they get a lot of bruises during transporation..

In this recipe, saba bananas will be used to make the pork estofado uniquely sumptuous. 

Pork Estofado with Tomato Sauce

The first time I ever ate fruit in a savoury dish was with afritada. When my mom scooped the ulam for me, I just thought that a slice of banana dropped in my food and it was not intended to be there. Eating the banana together with the meat and sauce was a unique experience. So for those who do not want to try banana in their ulam, you’re missing out a lot in life.

I was introduced to another recipe which uses banana. Pork estofado has now become one of my go-to foods whenever I feel to eat something sweet, fruity sweet instead of sugary sweet. Also, aside from the saba bananas, the ingredients you’ll need to make this dish is already sitting in your pantry!

How to Cook Pork Estofado with Pineapple Juice

Pork estofado is one among the classic Pinoy dishes you should definitely learn to make. It is quick and easy, and very exciting for the tummy! Using the steps below, your pork estofado can be ready in around 30 – 45 minutes.

Start by frying the bananas. There are a wide variety of bananas and the only type usually used for savoury dishes is the saba banana. Simply slice them into diagonal wedges and then fry until light brown. Take note that bananas surprise you as you cook them. They can turn from light brown into golden brown in seconds! Make sure not to take your eyes away when frying.

Once the bananas are done, it’s time to sear these belly babies. For this recipe, we want a slight nagmamantikang ulam, and the most recommended pork cut is the pork belly with its alternating lean and fat meat. Sear them using high heat until sizzling brown on both sides.

The oil rendered from the pork and the flavors from the fried banana will combine, making a flavorful oil. Reduce the oil a bit, saute the aromatics and then add the pork belly again. After a few minutes of sauteing, add the pineapple juice. Do not use high heat as it can destroy the perfect acidity of the pineapple. Then, add the soy sauce and vinegar but do not stir. This is to prevent the raw taste of the vinegar. To further cook the pork, cover it with water and simmer. When the pork is tender, add the rest of the ingredients. You can add more sugar to make it sweeter. As a chili lover, I’d like to add a lo of chopped chilies in my estofado. Don’t forget to add the fried bananas back to the pan. Sometimes, I crush some of the bananas to incorporate the flavor more into the sauce.

When the pork estofado is ready, time to dig in! Make sure to prepare a large pot of hot steaming rice because you’ll surely need a lot for this one! Yum!

COOKING TIPS

• If you want a healthier meat option, you can choose leaner cuts of meat instead of the pork belly.
• If you already crushed some bananas and are still unsatisfied with the banana flavor and want to heighten it, you can add a few drops of banana extract.
• You can use a pressure cooker to make the pork become tender faster.

Pork Estofado Recipe (in Tagalog)

Mga Sangkap:

• 1 kilo liempo
• 5 piraso saba bananas (medyo pahinog na)
• 1 tasang pineapple juice
• 1/2 tasang toyo
• 1/2 tasang suka
• 1 kutsaritang paminta
• 5 butil ng bawang
• 1 sibuyas
• 1 – 2 tasang tubig
• 1/4 tasang asukal na pula
• 2 dahon ng laurel
• mantika (pangprito)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Magpainit ng mantika at iprito ang mga saging na saba hanggang maging light brown. Baliktarin ang mga ito para maluto ang kabilang side. Isantabi.
2. Gamit ang parehong kawali, isangkutsa ang mga liempo gamit ang malakas na apoy hanggang maging crispy at golden brown. Baliktarin para maluto ang kabilang side. Intayin itong magmantika bago ilipat sa lalagyan. Isantabi.
3. Bawasan ang mantika sa kawali. Ilagay ang sibuyas at bawang at gisahin ng ilang minuto. Ibalik ang liempo sa kawali at igisa.
4. Ilagay ang pineapple juice. Budburan ito ng konting paminta saka ilagay ang toyo at suka. Huwag itong hahaluin ng 2 minuto. Lagyan ito ng tubig para mas lumambot ang baboy. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan itong maluto.
5. Haluin ang liempo paminsan minsan at tingnan kung malambot na. Ilagay ang dahon ng laurel at asukal na pula. Lutuin ito ng ilang minuto hanggang lumapot ang sabaw.
6. Ilagay ang mga pritong saging at sili. Haluin ang mga ito para malagyan ng sauce. Patayin ang apoy.
7. Ilipat ang pork estofado sa serving plate. Enjoyin ito kasama ng mainit na kanin. Yum!