07/09/2026
🍖 Pork Pata Humba Recipe
🛒 Ingredients
1–1.5 kg pork pata (pork hock/leg), cut into large pieces
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup vinegar
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 whole garlic bulb, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
3–4 bay leaves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 cup water or pork broth
½ cup dried banana blossoms, optional
¼ cup fermented black beans (tausi), optional
2 tbsp cooking oil
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
👨🍳 Step-by-Step Cooking Process
1. Clean and prepare the pork
Wash the pork pata thoroughly and pat it dry. Cut it into manageable pieces if necessary.
2. Brown the pork
Heat oil in a large, heavy pot. Add the pork pata and sear each side until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
3. Sauté the aromatics
Using the same pot, sauté the garlic and onion until fragrant and slightly softened.
4. Add the pork back
Return the browned pork pata to the pot.
5. Add the seasonings
Pour in the soy sauce and vinegar. Add brown sugar, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.
6. Let the vinegar cook
Bring the mixture to a boil without stirring for about 2–3 minutes. This helps cook off the sharp vinegar aroma.
7. Add water or broth
Pour in about 1 cup of water or pork broth. Bring everything to a boil.
8. Simmer until tender
Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1½–2½ hours, or until the pork is very tender. Add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick before the pork is cooked.
9. Add optional ingredients
If using, add the soaked dried banana blossoms and fermented black beans during the last 30–40 minutes of cooking.
10. Thicken and caramelize the sauce
Remove the lid and continue simmering until the sauce becomes thick, glossy, and rich. Taste and adjust with soy sauce, sugar, or pepper as needed.
11. Serve hot
Transfer the tender pork pata to a serving dish and spoon the thick humba sauce over it.
🍚 Best served with steaming hot white rice.
Tip: For extra-tender pork, you can use a pressure cooker for about 35–45 minutes, then simmer uncovered afterward to reduce and thicken the sauce.
