Bring this intricate dish from the southern parts of the Philippines to your home by creating this dish called the Pork Humba (Filipino Braised Pork With Black Beans)!
It is a famous dish that is both sweet and is savory and is sure to make you crave for more after the first bite. Impress your family and loved ones, or your friends by preparing this dish. Continue to read this recipe article and learn how to make one now.
What is Pork Humba?
The Bisaya Pork Humba is a pork dish that originated in the Visayas region, and similar in appearance to the classic and well-known dish, the adobo. This is more popular in the Visayas and Mindanao region here in the Philippines and is considered as one of the best delicacies there.
It is a dish with a delicious braised pork belly with a sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, making it both savory and sweet.
It is believed that the dish was introduced by Chinese settlers here in the country, called Hong-ba, and was adapted by the Filipino people in the Visayas to create the Humba.
What they did was replace some of the ingredients with what is more easily available here in the country, but still resembles the original dish when it comes to the taste.
Humba and Adobo
Humba is usually compared to the adobo, as mentioned earlier in this article. This is because they are both cooked with similar ingredients such as vinegar and soy sauce.
Humba, however, has a more sweet taste because of the addition of brown sugar, along with other sweetening ingredients such as pineapple, and banana blossoms.
Confusing humba with adobo? Learn the difference here: Humba vs Adobo.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This dish uses the same ingredients as that of the pork adobo. But some ingredients such as brown sugar, salted black beans, and banana blossoms are commonly added, which makes the overall dish unique in how it is made.
Pork
We suggest you use either of these pork cuts as these are best to use for this dish:
- Pork belly (liempo)- this is the most popular choice because of its fat content, which results in a very tasty adobo.
- Pork shoulder (kasim)- another popular choice for those looking for a meatier cut and still a good amount of fat.
- Pork ham (pigue)- for those who prefer a leaner (less fatty) meat, this would be a great choice.
Pineapple Juice
Some variations of the dish also use pineapple juice, which is also included in this recipe. This gives more flavor to the already delicious dish. If you don’t have any of these available with you, don’t worry as most of these are only optional.
Aside from these, you will also use regular pantry ingredients like onion, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, 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 Cook Pork Humba
The main thing you need to do when preparing the pork humba is to braise the dish. Braising is a method where you cook in dry heat, and then in wet heat.
This means that you need to cook it along with some other ingredients in a pan first until it is browned, and then proceed to simmer it to make the sauce and make the pork tender. Although it might seem confusing, it is a straightforward task, as seen in the recipe card below.
Cooking Tips
- As much as possible, use brown sugar to sweeten the dish instead of the white granulated sugar. Compared to the latter, it has slightly less concentrated sweetness and contains molasses which enhances the overall flavor of the sauce. Other options such as muscovado can also be acceptable as a substitute ingredient for the brown sugar.
- Make sure to not skip the part of browning the pork belly first. Since the usual way of cooking the pork humba is through braising, searing over high heat is an essential step as it releases the juices of the pork to the surface of the meat which makes the dish even more flavorful.
How to Serve Pork Humba
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 Pork Humba
Since pork humba is cooked with vinegar, this dish is safe to eat for several days, even if stored in room temperature. But if you want to make sure and extend its shelf life more, place in a clean food container with cover and refrigerate. This will make your food last for about 7 days.
To reheat, you can use the microwave oven or reheat in a pan over low to medium heat.
Other Filipino Pork Recipes
- Pork Hamonado (Hamonadong Baboy) Recipe
- Pork Pochero (Pocherong Baboy) Recipe
- Pata Tim (Braised Pork Hocks) Recipe
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Traditional Pork Humba Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) pork belly
- 1 pc medium-sized onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 pcs bay leaves (laurel leaves), dried
- 2 tbsp salted black beans (tausi)
- ½ cup banana blossoms, dried (optional)
- 1½ cup pineapple juice, or water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a cooking pot, pour-in and heat oil over medium heat
- Add-in the onions, and garlic. Saute until aromatic and soft.
- Add-in the soy sauce, bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Then add-in the pork belly. Cook until browned.
- Add-in the pineapple juice and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 to 50 minutes or until pork is tender.
- Add-in the vinegar and stir until well-incorporated.
- Add-in the black beans, brown sugar, and dried banana blossoms. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving tray or serving plate. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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