The Pata Tim (or Patatim) is a delicious and special type of pork stew which you can serve during special occasions or large gatherings. It gives off a savory flavor, and has undertones of being sweet, so it is sure to pique the interest of anyone who takes a bite of this irresistible pata.
If you want to have variety when it comes to cooking pork leg (pork hock), you can learn how to make the pata tim instead of the usual and more popular Crispy Pata.
What is Pata Tim (Chinese Style Braised Pork Hocks/Legs)?
Pata tim is a type of pork dish which is slow-cooked until it gets very tender in a thick sauce using soy sauce, and sugar, along with a variety of other ingredients such as cooking wine, star anise, bay leaves. This is also commonly partnered with mushrooms and bok choy.
This dish is an adaptation of another pork dish which originated from China–called the red braised pork.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pork
From its name, we will be using pata or pork hock (pork leg). You can cut this on your own into 2 inches thick crosswise or have the butcher in the market cut it for you.
Cornstarch
The cornstarch is an ingredient which helps in thickening the sauce of the pata tim. That being said, it is only an optional ingredient. If you want to have the the consistency of the sauce in the middle of a thick sauce and a soup, you should not consider adding cornstarch
Bok Choy
Another usual ingredient used in the pata tim is the bok choy, however, if this is not available or is not your preferred choice, you can still use other leafy vegetables such as pechay, spinach, or cabbage.
Aside from these, you will also use regular pantry ingredients like vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, mushrooms, star anise, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cooking Pot (Kaldero)- We will be cooking this dish all in one pot and you will be needing a regular kaldero or cooking pot to do this. You can also use any pot or casserole deep enough to contain the liquids involved in this recipe.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Make Pata Tim
To start preparing the pata tim, here are our main steps when doing the procedure so you can easily visualize what you’re going to do.
First, we need to sear the pork leg first until it turns reddish or light brown. Second is the main cooking part where we boil the pork leg until it gets tender, along with this step comes the mixing of the other ingredients to add flavor to the pata tim.
For the first part, you can sear the pork leg in a cooking pan over high heat and then make sure that all of the sides are cooked. This procedure helps remove some impurities within the pork leg and helps prevent the skin of the leg from shrinking rapidly so make sure to not skip this step.
An easier option you can do for this step is to broil the chicken using a turbo broiler for two minutes instead of searing.
Cooking Tips
- It is a good idea to have a butcher cut the pork leg in the market before you prepare it at home. It is common to just cook the whole leg in one piece so just cut some of the parts open, and not all the way, for the heat to easily go inside the meat while cooking. This is usually recommended since it is not common to have large knives at home for cutting the leg.
- You can use dried Shiitake mushrooms instead of the fresh ones, if the latter is not available. All you need to do is to soak the mushrooms in water for about half an hour and then squeeze out the liquid from the mushroom afterwards
How to Serve Pata Tim
This pork dish is best served with freshly cooked white rice for a lunch or dinner meal. Feel free to pair this with any vegetable dish and add up a cool drink of your choice.
How to Store and Reheat Pata Tim
Pata tim is best eaten when it is freshly cooked. In case you do have leftovers, place in a clean food container with cover and refrigerate. This will make your food last for about 3 days.
To reheat, you can use the microwave oven or reheat in a pan over low to medium heat.
Other Filipino Pork Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Pata Tim (Braised Pork Hocks) Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork hock/ leg, cut 2-inch apart
- 1 bunch bok choy
- 6 pcs Shiitake mushroom, cut into strips
- 3 pcs star anise
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cooking wine, optional
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, optional
- 4 cups water, or as needed
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- In a cooking pot, pour-in and heat cooking oil over high heat.
- Add-in the pork leg. Sear on all sides or until reddish. Set aside.
- In a large cooking pot, pour-in vinegar, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, star anise and water. Bring to a boil.
- Add-in the pork leg. Boil for 5 minutes and then cover and simmer for 2 hours or until pork is very tender but still intact. Add-in the Shitake mushrooms 20 minutes before finishing.
- Dilute cornstarch in water (about 3 tbsp) and then pour into the pot. Cook and stir until sauce thickens.
- Add-in the bok choy. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving plate or serving tray. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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