If you like adobo, you'll love Humba for its sweet and savory flavors. This Visayan pork stew takes it up a notch, making it sweeter and richer with the addition of salted black beans and pineapple.
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Ingredients you'll need
What is Humba?
Humba is a sweet and savory stew from the Visayas, often richer and more complex than pork adobo. This pork dish is made by braising pork belly or pork hock in traditional adobo seasonings of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and sugar. The addition of fermented black beans, pineapple, and dried banana blossoms makes it uniquely delicious.
Notes and substitutions
- Pork belly: This is a fatty cut that turns tender and flavorful after slow-cooking. For something leaner, you can use pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork ribs. If you like an extra silky sauce from collagen, pork hock is a great choice.
- Salted black beans: This is also known as tausi, which are fermented soy beans that add a rich umami flavor and saltiness to the dish. Make sure to rinse them well to remove excess salt.
- Dried banana blossoms: Also known as bulaklak ng saging or kinchamsay, these are the dried flowers of a banana blossom. They add a slightly floral and earthy flavor, with a chewy texture that absorbs the sauce.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Sear pork
Start by searing the meat in a little oil over medium-high heat, giving it about 2 minutes on each side until it's nicely browned. Then, transfer it to a plate.
After searing the meat, I like to remove the excess oil or fat by blotting with a paper towel to keep things less greasy.
PRO TIP: Searing the meat before you braise it really seals in those flavors. Try to get a nice brown crust on the pork belly-it's key for the best taste.
Step 2: Sauté aromatics
Toss in the smashed cloves of garlic and chopped onion, then sauté until they soften up. Add whole or cracked peppercorns, then sauté them to "bloom" their flavor, bringing out their full aroma and taste.
Step 3: Add meat and seasonings
Bring back the seared meat to the pot, and add in ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup vinegar, 1½ cups pineapple juice, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 star anise, and 3 bay leaves. Stir everything together and let it come to a boil.
Step 4: Simmer
After bringing it to a boil, turn down the heat to medium. Cover and let it simmer away for about 45 minutes to an hour.
You're looking for the meat to get super tender and the sauce to thicken up a bit. And don't forget to skim off any fat that floats to the top-keeps it from being too greasy.
Step 5: Add banana blossoms and black beans
Add your banana blossoms and fermented black beans that have been rinsed a few times, making sure they're not too salty. Mix it well, then cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. You want the banana blossoms to become tender and fully rehydrated.
If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered until it reaches your desired consistency. And if it starts to look too thick, just add a little water to loosen it up. Taste and adjust as needed, then turn off the heat.
Serve and enjoy your Pork Humba with steamed rice or Sinangag!
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! While pork belly has delicious fat and meat layers, don't hesitate to try pork hocks, shoulder, butt, or ribs. Each one has its own kind of texture and taste.
Humba is sweeter and richer than Adobo, with pineapple juice and salted black beans. It often includes ingredients like saba bananas, dried banana blossoms, and star anise for a distinct aroma.
Fermented black beans add an extra depth and umami to Humba. However, if you can't find them, it's okay to leave them out. You could add a little extra soy sauce to compensate, though it might slightly change the traditional taste.
More stews and braises to try
- Adobo: Chicken or pork cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.
- Kare-Kare: A hearty beef stew with vegetables, simmered in a rich peanut sauce and served with bagoong on the side.
- Caldereta: A beef stew with vegetables, simmered in a tomato-based sauce with liver spread.
- Afritada: A tomato-based stew with chicken or pork, potatoes, bell peppers, and carrots.
- Menudo: A tomato-based stew with bite-sized pork, liver, vegetables, and hotdogs or chorizo.
- Pochero: A stew made with beef, chicken or pork, and chorizo, cooked with vegetables like cabbage, saba bananas, and chickpeas in a tomato-based broth.
- Igado: A savory, tangy Ilocano stew made with pork, liver, and vegetables.
Other pork recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Humba Recipe
Equipment
- 4.5-quart Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed-pot
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork belly 1½-inch pieces; see note
- 1 head garlic crushed or smashed
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon whole or cracked peppercorns to taste
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup cane or coconut vinegar
- 1½ cups pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar adjust to taste
- 2 star anise
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup dried banana blossoms rinsed; see note
- ¼ cup salted black beans rinsed well; see note
- Neutral-flavored oil for searing and sautéing
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, sear the meat in a bit of oil for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Transfer to a plate. As an option, you can remove most of the oil or fat by soaking with paper towels.
- Add garlic and onion, then sauté until softened. Add whole or cracked peppercorns, sautéing them to bloom their flavor.
- Add the seared meat, soy sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar, star anise, and bay leaves. Mix together and let it come to a boil.
- Lower to medium heat, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce slightly thickens. Skim off the fat layer from the top.
- Add banana blossoms and fermented black beans that have been rinsed multiple times. Mix well, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the banana blossoms are fully rehydrated and tender.If the sauce is too thin, continue to simmer without the lid until it reaches your desired consistency. Should the sauce begin to dry out, add a bit of water. Taste and adjust as needed, then turn off the heat.
Notes
- Pork belly: This is a fatty cut that turns tender and flavorful after slow-cooking. For something leaner, you can use pork shoulder, pork butt, or pork ribs. If you like a rich flavor and an extra silky sauce from collagen, pork hock is a great choice.
- Salted black beans: This is also known as tausi, which are fermented soy beans that add a rich umami flavor and saltiness to the dish. Make sure to rinse them well to remove excess salt.
- Dried banana blossoms: Also known as bulaklak ng saging or kinchamsay, these are the dried flowers of a banana blossom. They add a slightly floral and earthy flavor, with a chewy texture that absorbs the sauce.
Lynn says
Sooooo delicious! My kids enjoyed this so much. I did not have the banana blossoms but it tasted amazing. I have to say i like it better than adobo. It has more flavor!
Mark Reyes says
Hi Lynn! Thank you so much!
Mark says
Soo gooood!
Nora Reyes says
Thank you so much, Mark!