Pata Tim features tender, gelatinous pork hock cooked in a slightly sweet and savory sauce with the aromatic touch of star anise. With a pressure cooker, this comforting dish can be prepared more quickly, making it an ideal meal for any occasion.
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What is Pata Tim?
Pata Tim is a Filipino braise with Chinese influences, similar to Asado for its slightly sweet, savory sauce and tender meat. It's made with pork hock, slow-cooked until gelatinous and tender, in a rich sauce of soy sauce, star anise, and other spices.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Pork hock: This is the lower leg portion of the pig, sometimes including the feet (often referred to as "trotters"). Pork hock becomes gelatinous when cooked, adding a rich texture to dishes. For quicker cooking and more flavor, use cut-up pork hock.
- Shiitake mushrooms: Dried shiitake mushrooms are preferred for their deeper flavor, but fresh can be used in a pinch. You can also use dried banana blossom with a slightly sweet and floral note, along with a meaty texture that absorbs the flavors well.
- Soy sauce: Use regular soy sauce, not light soy. As an option, you can add a bit of dark soy sauce to improve the color of the dish without significantly altering its taste.
- Shaoxing wine: This adds depth and a hint of sweetness to the dish. If unavailable, regular cooking wine or even pineapple juice for extra sweetness and flavor, can be used. A touch of rice wine vinegar is another option, though it will add a slightly acidic note.
- Bok choy: Shanghai bok choy, pechay, or napa cabbage are all suitable options.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Boil the pork hock
Rinse the pork hock and place it in a large pot, then pour enough water to fully cover them. Let it boil over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes to remove the impurities. Remove them from the water, then pat them dry.
Step 2: Rehydrate mushrooms
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until rehydrated, then trim off the stems if necessary.
Step 3: Sear the pork
Season the pieces with salt. In a heavy-bottomed pot or the pot of an electric pressure cooker, sear them over high heat until they are lightly browned on most sides.
CAUTION: Oil can splatter while searing, especially if the pork is still moist. For your safety, thoroughly dry the pork, use a deep pot to contain splatters, and maintain a safe distance to avoid burns.
PRO TIP: Searing adds flavor through the Maillard reaction, which creates a delicious browned crust. The fond left from searing also forms the base for the flavorful sauce.
Step 4: Sauté the mushrooms
Drain and gently squeeze the shiitake mushrooms to remove excess water. Sauté the mushrooms over medium-high heat, adding more oil as needed, until they are browned and fragrant.
Step 5: Sauté the aromatics
Add the garlic and onion, then sauté until softened and aromatic.
Step 6: Add pork and seasonings
Add the pork, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar, and 4 cups of wate. If using an electric pressure cooker, add only 1½ cups of water as it keeps the moisture in due to its sealed environment.
Step 7: Add the spices
Add the star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. If you have a mesh bag, place these spices inside it for easy removal later. This way, you can easily pick out or discard the spices after cooking. Sprinkle in some freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Step 8: Simmer
Let the mixture simmer over medium-low heat. For stovetop cooking, it will typically take 2½ to 3 hours. If using an electric pressure cooker, set it to high pressure and cook for 1 hour.
The pork hock is ready when it's tender and the meat easily separates from the bone. Check by poking with a fork; if it enters easily and the meat nearly falls off the bone, it's done. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, or more sugar if needed.
Step 9: Thicken the sauce
Transfer the meat to a serving platter and keep warm. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.
Step 10: Cook the bok choy
Blanch the bok choy in a separate saucepan of boiling water or add it directly to the sauce and let it wilt.
Step 11: Assemble
Place the meat on a platter and spoon the warm sauce over them, then arrange the bok choy on the side.
Serve your Pata tim with a side of steamed white rice and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook Pata Tim on the stovetop. It typically takes about 2½ to 3 hours of simmering over medium-low heat. The key indicator of doneness is when the pork hock becomes tender and the meat easily separates from the bone.
Yes, while pork hock is traditional for its gelatinous texture when cooked, you can use other cuts like pork belly or shoulder. These cuts may cook faster and offer a different texture but can still be delicious.
Pork hock and pork leg are different parts of the pig. The pork hock is the lower section near the foot, known for its tough, gelatinous texture that is ideal for slow cooking. The pork leg is the upper part, leaner and better suited for roasting.
Yes, Pata Tim can be made ahead of time and often tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld. Just reheat it slowly over low heat or in a microwave before serving.
Explore other Chinese-inspired Filipino dishes
- Pancit Canton: Stir-fried wheat noodles with a variety of vegetables and meat. Pancit Bihon is a variation with thin rice noodles. It's a celebration dish, often served on special occasions and birthdays, symbolizing long life.
- Lumpia Shanghai: These are fried spring rolls filled with a mixture of meat and vegetables wrapped in lumpia wrappers.
- Siopao: Steamed or baked buns filled with savory meat fillings such as asado (sweet pork) or bola-bola (meatball).
- Siomai: This traditional Chinese dumpling is often made with a mixture of ground pork, shrimp, and extenders like singkamas (jicama) or mushrooms, wrapped in wonton wrappers and steamed. It's commonly served with soy sauce, calamansi, and chili garlic oil.
- Hopia: Similar to Chinese mooncake, this flaky pastry has a sweet filling made with mung beans, ube (purple yam), or pork fat.
- Arroz Caldo: Similar to Chinese congee, this rice porridge is cooked with chicken, ginger, and garlic.
- Fish Tausi: Fish cooked in tausi or fermented black soybeans with a savory, umami-rich flavor.
Other pork recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Pata Tim Recipe
Equipment
- Electric pressure cooker or a large heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 5 pounds pork hock see note
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms see note
- 6 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 onion chopped
- ⅔ cup soy sauce see note
- ½ cup Shaoxing wine see note
- ⅔ cup brown sugar more to taste
- 4 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- A bunch of bok choy see note
- Salt and pepper (or whole peppercorn) to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the pork hock and place it in a large pot with enough water to fully cover them. Let it boil over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes to remove the impurities. Remove them from the water, then pat them dry.
- Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water until rehydrated, then trim off the stems if necessary.
- Season the pork hock pieces with salt. Sear them over high heat until they are lightly browned on most sides.CAUTION: Oil can splatter while searing, especially if the pork is still moist. For your safety, thoroughly dry the pork, use a deep pot to contain splatters, and maintain a safe distance to avoid burns.
- Drain and gently squeeze the mushrooms to remove excess water. Sauté them over medium-high heat, adding more oil as needed.
- Add the garlic and onion, then sauté until softened and aromatic.
- Add the pork, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar, and 4 cups of water. If using an electric pressure cooker, add only 1½ cups of water as it keeps the moisture in due to its sealed environment.
- Add the star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. If you have a mesh bag, place these spices inside it for easy removal later. This way, you can easily pick out or discard the spices after cooking. Sprinkle in some freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
- Let the mixture simmer over medium-low heat. For stovetop cooking, it will typically take 2½ to 3 hours. If using an electric pressure cooker, set it to high pressure and cook for 1 hour.The pork hock is ready when it's tender and the meat easily separates from the bone. Check by poking with a fork; if it enters easily and the meat nearly falls off the bone, it's done. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, or more sugar if needed.
- Transfer the meat to a platter and keep warm. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Blanch the bok choy in a separate saucepan of boiling water or add it to the sauce and let it wilt. Turn off the heat.
- Serve your Pata tim—spoon the warm sauce over the meat, then arrange the bok choy on the side.
Notes
- Pork hock: This is the lower leg portion of the pig, sometimes including the feet (often referred to as "trotters"). Pork hock becomes gelatinous when cooked, adding a rich texture to dishes. For quicker cooking and more flavor, use cut-up pork hock.
- Shiitake mushrooms: Dried shiitake mushrooms are preferred for their deeper flavor, but fresh can be used in a pinch. You can also use dried banana blossom with a slightly sweet and floral note, along with a meaty texture that absorbs the flavors well.
- Soy sauce: Use regular soy sauce, not light soy. As an option, you can add a bit of dark soy sauce to improve the color of the dish without significantly altering its taste.
- Shaoxing wine: This adds depth and a hint of sweetness to the dish. If unavailable, regular cooking wine or even pineapple juice for extra sweetness and flavor, can be used. A touch of rice wine vinegar is another option, though it will add a slightly acidic note.
- Bok choy: Shanghai bok choy, pechay, or napa cabbage are all suitable options.
Mark
Delicious!!!
Nora Reyes
Hey Mark, Thank you! =)