Tokwat Baboy

Tokwat Baboy is actually a side dish for lugaw and pancit palabok but Filipinos usually eat the dish as a main viand or pulutan. Tokwa or tofu is considered as a wonder food. The Chinese regularly eat tofu, which is low in fat and calories.

Ingredients:

– 400 grams of pork face or pork rump
– 1 big cake of tokwa
– 1 whole onion
– 1 whole garlic
– Several stalks of leeks
– 6-7 peppercorns
– 1 bay leaf
– 2 cups of cooking oil
– Salt

For the sauce

– 1 onion, finely chopped
– 1 tablespoon of garlic, finely minced
– 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
– 2 tablespoons of soy paste
– 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
– ¼ cup of cane vinegar
– ½ cup of meat broth
– 3-4 hot chili peppers
– 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar

How to Cook:

1. Wash the tokwa and place in a bowl filled with water. Cool in the fridge for several hours.

2. Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce in a glass jar with a screw cap. Cover and shake the jar lightly until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

3. Wash the pork and place in a pan or casserole. Cover with water and the whole onion, whole garlic, leeks, bay leaf and peppercorns. Season with salt if necessary. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove the scum that rises to the surface. Lower the heat of the stove and cover the casserole. Let simmer for an hour. Afterwards, transfer the meat to a bowl and let it cool completely. You can chill this in the fridge for a few hours after it has cooled down. Then cut the meat into ½” sized-cubes.

4. Strain the broth from the casserole and set aside ½ cup. Freeze the remaining broth for future use.

5. Drain the tokwa and cut it into ½” sized-cubes. Deep fry in heated cooking oil until they turn golden brown. Drain off the oil using paper towels and let cool.

6. Mix the pork and tokwa cubes together in a large bowl. Put some in a bowl for individual serving and pour a few tablespoons of the sauce over it.

Tokwa't Baboy