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Humba
Humba: Visayan braised pork belly in soy, vinegar and brown sugar with salted black beans
Humba is the sweet, dark braise of the Visayas, cooked in Cebu and Bohol homes for fiestas, birthdays and Sunday lunch. Pork belly simmers in soy sauce, cane vinegar and brown sugar with garlic, bay and peppercorns until the fat turns meltingly soft and the sauce becomes sticky; salted black beans (tausi) and dried lily buds, sold as dried banana blossoms, give it its Visayan character. Eat it with plenty of steamed rice. The usual mistake is stirring as soon as the vinegar goes in: let it boil uncovered for a few minutes first so its raw sharpness cooks off. Pressure-cooker: cook for 35 minutes at high pressure, then reduce the sauce uncovered. Chef's tip: humba tastes even better the next day, when the pork has soaked up the sauce.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb pork bellycut in 5 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 onionsliced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup cane or white vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp salted fermented black beans (tausi)rinsed
- ⅔ oz dried lily buds (dried banana blossoms)soaked 15 minutes, knotted
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat. Brown the 2 ¼ lb pork belly in two batches for 8 minutes each until golden on the sides and some fat has run out.
16 minStep 3: Return the pork, pour in the ¼ cup cane or white vinegar and let it boil uncovered for 3 minutes without stirring.
3 minStep 4: Add the ¼ cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 cups water, 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
60 minStep 5: Add the 2 tbsp salted fermented black beans (tausi) and ⅔ oz dried lily buds (dried banana blossoms) and simmer for 20–30 minutes more, uncovered, until the pork is tender enough to cut with a spoon (well above 160°F) and the sauce has thickened and darkened.
30 minStep 6: Skim off excess fat, taste and adjust with a little more sugar or vinegar. Serve hot with rice.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 55 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does humba take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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