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–+ servings

Pork Estofado

Recipe by Connie Veneracion
A salty, sour and sweet stew from the Philippines, this recipe for pork estofado gives you the best flavors and textures by browning the pork, and frying the potato and carrot, to allow the natural sugars of the meat and vegetables to caramelize.
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 20 mins
Total Time 1 hr 40 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 6 people
Filipino pork estofado in white stoneware bowl
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

Vegetables and aromatics

  • 300 grams potatoes
  • 150 grams carrot
  • 4 to 6 saba bananas
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 to 3 sprigs oregano
  • 2 bell peppers (red or green, or both)
  • cooking oil

Pork

  • 1 kilogram pork either shoulder or belly, cut into two-inch cubes
  • salt
  • pepper

Seasonings

  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar loosely packed
  • ½ tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf

Video

Instructions
 

Prep and cook the vegetables

  • Peel the potatoes and carrot, and dice.
    Diced potatoes, carrot and sliced saba bananas on bamboo chopping board
  • Peel the saba bananas and cut each into thirds.
  • Peel and chop the onion and garlic.
    Garlic, oregani, onion and bell peppers on chopping board
  • Deseed the bell peppers and dice.
  • In a wok or fryer, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least two inches.
  • Fry the potatoes until the edges are browned.
    Frying diced potatoes until the edges are browned
  • Scoop out and set aside.
  • Fry the diced carrot until the edges are browned.
    Frying diced carrot until lightly browned
  • Scoop out and set aside.
  • Fry the saba bananas until browned and cooked through.
    Frying saba bananas until golden brown
  • Scoop out and set aside.

Brown the pork

  • Pour off the cooking oil leaving only about two tablespoons in the pan, and set the heat to high.
  • Spread the pork cubes in the hot oil and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper.
    Browning pork cubes with salt and pepper in a wok
  • Allow the undersides to brown before flipping to brown all sides.

Add the aromatics and seasonings

  • Throw in the onion, garlic and oregano.
    Adding onion, garlic and oregano to browned pork in wok
  • Cook, tossing, until the onion pieces soften and start to turn translucent.
  • Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce.
    Adding vinegar, soy sayce, tomato paste, bay leaves and brown sugar to pork in wok
  • Add the tomato paste, bay leaf and brown sugar.
  • Pour in enough water to cover the pork, bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer until the pork is tender.

Add the vegetables and bananas

  • Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
  • Stir in the bell peppers, cover the pan and simmer for five minutes.
    Adding bell peppers, potatoes, carrot and saba bananas to pork estofad
  • Add the fried potatoes, carrot and saba bananas. Toss to distribute.
  • Cover the pan and simmer for another five minutes.
  • Taste the sauce one last time and adjust the seasonings, as needed, before serving.

Notes

Updated from a recipe originally published in December 28, 2015
Keyword Pork, Stew